Agenda item

This report recommends to Council that it approves the Pre-Submission version of Local Plan Part 2 (LPP2) for consultation under Regulation 19 of the Local Planning Regulations.  This report focuses on the areas that have generated a high degree of public interest as a result of the representations the Council received from the previous consultation on the Preferred Options version of LPP2 in May – July 2018.  It also considers the feedback to the proposed Pre-Submission version of LPP2 that was considered by the Environment O&S in October 2018.   In response to this, Officers have been able to make a number of changes to the draft Plan which address most of the concerns raised at that meeting.  This report also considers the observations made at the recent meeting of the Environment O&S Committee on 22^nd September 2020 and the resultant changes to LPP2 that the Executive recommended can be made when they met on 6^th October 2020.  It also sets out any additional recommended changes to LPP2 that resulted from that Executive meeting. 

Recommendation

That Council agrees that:

a)     the Pre-Submission version of Local Plan Part 2 which includes the amendments to the Plan made following the recommendations of the meeting of the Executive on 6^th October 2020, attached as Annexe 2 to this report, be approved for consultation under Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012;

b)     the Head of Planning and Economic Development be given the authority to make any further typographical or formatting changes to the pre-submission version of Local Plan Part 2 that are deemed necessary for its consultation. 

56.1     The Leader introduced the draft Waverley Borough Local Plan Part 2 (LPP2), which was presented to Council for approval as the pre-submission version for consultation under Regulation 19 of the Local Planning Regulations. Progress of LPP2 had been delayed due to difficulties in finding site allocations that were agreeable to people in Haslemere and Witley; and to address site allocations for gypsies and travellers. There had been an additional call for sites in Haslemere, but the council was caught between meeting government housing targets, and objections to development by Natural England due environmental constraints. The Executive hoped that during the course of the Regulation 19 consultation, there would be progress made in discussions with Natural England with regard to sites in Haslemere, and all consultation responses would be carefully considered.

56.2     Cllr MacLeod, Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy and Brightwells, thanked the Head of Planning & Economic Development and his Planning Policy Team for their work over the last three years to produce the draft LPP2 document. They had worked painstakingly to try and satisfy all stakeholders and to come up with the best plan for Waverley. Cllr MacLeod also thanked Cllr Mulliner for his scrutiny of housing numbers in Haslemere, and the LPP2 had been updated accordingly, although it was not sufficient to allow any sites to be removed from the allocations. Concerns expressed by Cllr Knowles regarding the water supply problems in Haslemere had been heard, and LPP2 included a policy requiring infrastructure to be provided ahead of housing development. However, the council was not able to reject housing based on a perceived problem, and Thames Water were obliged to provide a water supply. Cllr MacLeod also confirmed that whilst the Regulation 19 consultation would be taking place amid the Covid restrictions, every effort would be made to ensure that it was widely accessible including for those with no internet.

56.3     Cllr Follows reiterated the Executive’s commitment to pass LPP2, for the benefit of those communities who were impacted directly because of its absence; but also to continue to work with colleagues in Haslemere during the consultation period, to try and resolve the disagreement over site allocations and identify a viable alternative to the Red Court site.

56.4     A number of councillors from all Groups spoke in support of progressing LPP2, and the need to get LPP2 adopted in order to protect all of the borough; whilst the progress on site allocations in Witley was pleasing, and there was sympathy for the situation in Haslemere, it was also recognised that the absence of site allocations to meet the housing target put the council at a disadvantage at planning appeals. Only Cllr Hyman spoke against the LPP2, on the basis that in his view it was not compliant with Regulation 9 of the Habitats Regulations.

56.5     The Leader thanked Members for their contribution to the debate, and requested a recorded vote on the recommendation, which was supported by Cllrs Hyman, Follows, Williams, Townsend and Palmer.

56.6    Council RESOLVED to agree that:

a)     the Pre-Submission version of Local Plan Part 2 which includes the amendments to the Plan made following the recommendations of the meeting of the Executive on 6^th October 2020, attached as Annexe 2 to this report, be approved for consultation under Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012;

b)     the Head of Planning and Economic Development be given the authority to make any further typographical or formatting changes to the pre-submission version of Local Plan Part 2 that are deemed necessary for its consultation. 

For  51

Cllrs Brian Adams, Christine Baker, David Beaman, Roger Blishen, Peter Clark, Carole Cockburn, Richard Cole, Steve Cosser, Martin D’Arcy, Jerome Davidson, Kevin Deanus, Simon Dear, Sally Dickson, Patricia Ellis, David Else, Jenny Else, Jan Floyd-Douglass, Paul Follows, Mary Foryszewski, Maxine Gale, Michael Goodridge, John Gray, Michaela Gray, Joan Heagin, George Hesse, Chris Howard, Peter Isherwood, Jacquie Keen, Anna James, Andy MacLeod, Penny Marriott, Peter Marriott, Michaela Martin, Peter Martin, Mark Merryweather, Kika Mirylees, John Neale, Peter Nicholson, Nick Palmer, Julia Potts, Ruth Reed, Paul Rivers, Penny Rivers, John Robini, Anne-Marie Rosoman, Trevor Sadler, Richard Seaborne, Liz Townsend, John Ward, Steve Williams, George Wilson

Abstentions  2

Cllrs Brian Edmonds, Robert Knowles

Against  1

Cllr Jerry Hyman