Agenda item

(a)   Question from Mr Chris Owen to Councillor Nigel Ball, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure, Culture and Planning:-

“The Local Plan was prepared before declaration of a Climate Emergency, and issue of the Council’s Climate Commission Report and Environmental Strategy.  Will the policies and appropriateness of sites allocated for development set out in the Local Plan be reviewed and revised to ensure that the important policies and initiatives contained in these and other environmental initiatives are fully reflected in the Local Plan, and therefore will be taken into account in determining planning applications?  What will any such review entail, when will it start and when will it be completed?  If no review will be performed, why not?”

(a)      Question from Mr Chris Owen, to Councillor Nigel Ball, Cabinet Member for Public Health, Leisure, Culture and Planning:-

“The Local Plan was prepared before declaration of a Climate Emergency, and issue of the Council’s Climate Commission Report and Environmental Strategy. Will the policies and appropriateness of sites allocated for development set out in the Local Plan, be reviewed and revised to ensure that the important policies and initiatives contained in these and other environmental initiatives are fully reflected in the Local Plan, and therefore will be taken into account in determining planning applications?  What will any such review entail, when will it start and when will it be completed?  If no review will be performed, why not?”

Councillor Nigel Ball gave the following reply:-

“This very matter was discussed in front of the Government Planning Inspector through the Local Plan examination Hearing sessions whilst the Plan was being examined.  Local Planning Authorities are bound by the legal duty in Section 19 of the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, as amended by the 2008 Planning Act, to ensure that, taken as a whole, planning policy contributes to the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change.  This outcome-focused duty on local planning clearly signals the priority to be given to climate change in plan making.

The Local Plan Inspector's Final Report was issued in June last year and noted:-

"Whilst some representors consider that the Plan fails to respond appropriately to the climate emergency acknowledged by the Council, it has to meet the tests of soundness. For the reasons set out throughout this report…I conclude that the Plan is sound and contains appropriate policies to help mitigate and adapt to climate change in the context of current national policy including by helping to shape places in ways that contribute to radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions."

The Inspector’s conclusions on this matter were that:-

“There is no national policy requirement for the Plan to include targets for reductions in greenhouse gases in the Borough. The Council advised during the examination that it will take account of future changes to national and local policies and initiatives relating to climate change, such as Doncaster’s Commission on the Climate Change,… as it keeps the Plan under review.” 

The Local Plan itself acknowledges that there are a number of emerging issues and opportunities that may inform a Local Plan review, including evolving national planning policy and the response to climate change.

The Local Plan was only approved and adopted last September with cross party support.  We are now implementing its policies and monitoring the effectiveness of the Plan towards meeting its objectives. These include policies relating to the overall spatial strategy and the allocation of land for development which aim to minimise the need to travel and avoid flood risk, sustainable transport, protection, sustainable design, and low carbon and renewable energy.

As per the Council’s response quoted in the Inspector’s Report, national Government policy, including planning policy, is likely to evolve in the future to respond to what the Council has formally agreed in its declaration of a climate emergency.

The Council has a legal obligation to review the Plan at least five years from its adoption date, to ensure that policies remain relevant and effectively address the needs of our local communities. National planning guidance states that most Plans are likely to require updating in whole or in part at least every five years, and that reviews should be proportionate to the issues in hand.  

As part of keeping the Plan under review, options which the Council could choose to pursue include bringing forward policy via a full Local Plan Review, a partial Local Plan Review, or adopting an additional Development Plan Document to sit alongside the current Local Plan.

Any such option would need to be carried out in accordance with the relevant planning legislation, including at least two rounds of full public consultation, and concluding with the independent examination process. No decisions have yet been taken with respect to these options, given the Plan has only been in place for less than 6 months.”

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 13.10, Mr Owen asked the following supplementary question:-

Q.      “When will you commit to undertaking a proper review of the Local Plan and update the documents?  I ask that in doing so, you urgently consider the allocation of Rose Hill and reconsider the sale of this land to housing developers.”

Councillor Nigel Ball gave the following response:-

A.        “The Local Plan is only six months old and was fully endorsed by Council at this point.  It will be subject to a review, both a partial review and a full review, but we are still only six months in with the Plan.  There are a lot of contentious areas, Rose Hill included, and when it is reviewed, we will look at what can be addressed.  However, at this point, six months in, we are not in a position to undertake a review as this would be extremely time consuming and would need to be subject to a full public consultation which does not happen overnight, and it is a process that we take very seriously.”