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Agenda No 9 AGENDA MANAGEMENT SHEET Name of Committee Cabinet Date of Committee 26 February 2009 Report Title Government Consultation: Draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS) on Eco-Towns Summary Government is consulting on a draft Eco-towns Planning Policy Statement (PPS) together with a draft Sustainability Appraisal of schemes put forward for its Eco-town programme. The final decision on the potential locations for eco-towns will be made in early 2009, after which each scheme will have to submit planning applications. The closing date for comments is 6 March 2009. The Director's report recommends that the Council responds to the consultation as advised (in Appendix A) by the Joint Local Authority Members Working Party of the three Counties and three districts directly concerned with the ‘Middle Quinton’ bid at Long Marston depot. For further information Andy Cowan please contact Chief Planner Tel. 01926 412126 [email protected] Would the recommended No decision be contrary to the Budget and Policy Framework? There are no formal background papers – all Background Papers documents referred to being in the public domain. However, hard copies of the Draft PPS are available for inspection in Environment and Economy or can be viewed on the DCLG website following this link: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planninga ndbuilding/ppsecotowns CONSULTATION ALREADY UNDERTAKEN:- Details to be specified Other Committees .......................................................................... Local Member(s) X Councillor Mrs I Seccombe (With brief comments, if appropriate) Eco-towns Consultation.doc 1 of 9 Other Elected Members X Councillor P Barnes Councillor M Jones for information Councillor P Morris-Jones Cabinet Member X Councillor C Saint - comments incorporated. (Reports to The Cabinet, to be cleared with Councillor M Heatley – noted. appropriate Cabinet Member) Chief Executive .......................................................................... Legal X I Marriott – agreed. Finance .......................................................................... Other Chief Officers .......................................................................... District Councils .......................................................................... Health Authority .......................................................................... Police .......................................................................... Other Bodies/Individuals .......................................................................... FINAL DECISION YES (If ‘No’ complete Suggested Next Steps) SUGGESTED NEXT STEPS : Details to be specified Further consideration by .......................................................................... this Committee To Council .......................................................................... To Cabinet .......................................................................... To an O & S Committee .......................................................................... To an Area Committee .......................................................................... Further Consultation .......................................................................... Eco-towns Consultation.doc 2 of 9 Agenda No 9 Cabinet – 26 February 2009 Government Consultation:- Draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS) on Eco-Towns Report of the Strategic Director for Environment and Economy Recommendations: 1. That the proposed response advised by the Joint Local Authority Members Working Group attached at Appendix A to the Director’s report be endorsed and that the Government, together with local authority partners and the Regional Assembly, be informed accordingly. 2. That a letter should be sent to Communities and Local Government, signed by the Leaders and Chief Executives of the six affected local authorities, including the County Council, confirming the united position of the local authorities in their opposition to the Middle Quinton proposal. 3. That the Strategic Director for Environment and Economy be authorised, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder, to make minor changes to the response to update technical supporting material as indicated in paragraph 4.4 of the report. 4. That notwithstanding the Council’s constructive approach to the issues raised in the Draft Planning Policy Statement (PPS), the Council remains of the view that an Eco-town as proposed at Long Marston Depot is not sustainable and any comment on the criteria contained in the Draft PPS should not be regarded as conveying its support for that proposal. 1. Introduction 1.1 Following Government launch of the initial consultation on the Eco-town programme (in April 2008), the Council, in concert with the other five authorities directly affected, responded to the effect that:- (i) Government should rethink its whole approach and follow the development plan strategies being put in place for redevelopment and expansion of existing towns and cities; and (ii) It should specifically reject the proposal for an eco-town at Long Marston Depot as being the worst of locations for a concept that was (anyway) flawed. Eco-towns Consultation.doc 3 of 9 Neither this advice from the Council, nor similar advice from the Regional Assembly and other authorities, appears to have been taken on board in the recently launched second stage of consultation on the Eco-towns programme. 1.2 This second stage consultation on the Eco-towns programme is marked by the publication of the Draft Planning Policy Statement on Eco Towns on 4 November 2008 (originally scheduled for Sept 08). The original deadline for comments on the Draft PPS was 19 February 2009 but this has now been extended to 6 March 2009. (This extension of the consultation period was due to a legal challenge heard in the High Court on 22 and 23 January 09 that was subsequently dismissed). 1.3 The Draft PPS is accompanied by the publication of the following documents:- (i) A Sustainability Appraisal of the Draft PPS (ii) A Sustainability Appraisal of the Eco-towns Programme – Introduction, (iii) Conclusions and individual chapters for the short-listed locations (iv) An Impact Assessment of the draft PPS (v) Eco-towns – summary of consultation responses. 1.4 The ‘Middle Quinton’ Eco-town proposal for Long Marston Depot remains within the shortlist of 12 locations that are being considered for inclusion in the Eco- towns programme. The shortlist also includes two new locations which have been identified by local authorities as reasonable alternatives, at Rackheath (Norwich) and North West Bicester (Cherwell). Through the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) each of the 12 short listed locations has been assigned one of the following grades: Grade A: generally suitable for an eco-town. (NB. Only Rackheath, Greater Norwich is considered as falling within this grade). Grade B: might be a suitable location subject to meeting specific planning and design objectives. (NB. Ten out of the twelve bids, including ‘Middle Quinton’, fall into this grade). Grade C: location only likely to be suitable as an eco-town with substantial and exceptional innovation (NB. This grade is currently occupied by Weston Otmoor, Oxfordshire). 2. Draft PPS Key Features 2.1 The Draft PPS provides the long awaited guidance on how eco-town proposals should be considered through the planning system. The main features of this are summarised below:- (i) Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) – Should consider eco-towns as one of a range of options when determining the overall level and distribution of housing in future RSS reviews. Where an eco-town is already included in the national programme, or in a development plan document, or where planning permission has been granted, RSS reviews should consider the location or longer term growth options for the eco-town. Eco-towns Consultation.doc 4 of 9 (ii) Local Development Frameworks (LDF) – Once again eco-towns are one of a range of options which should be considered and can be allocated within the Core Strategy. Where Core Strategies are in preparation and an eco-town location is included in the national programme, they should include it as an option for consideration. However, there is no requirement to allocate an eco-town if a better way of meeting future needs exists. (iii) Handling Planning Applications for Eco-towns – The draft PPS confirms the government’s commitment to the plan-led system, and indicates that the starting point for the consideration of any planning application should be the development plan. It is clear however that the PPS and the locations identified in the Eco-towns programme will be a material consideration in the determination of planning applications. The weight likely to be attached to the PPS will be greater if the development plan for the area is out of date. 2.2 In terms of locational principles the draft PPS stresses that Eco-towns should comply with national policy set out in all PPSs. In identifying suitable locations the following factors should be considered:- (i) The proximity of the eco-town to higher order centre(s) and the capacity for public transport links to that centre (ii) Proximity to planned or existing employment opportunities (iii) The role an eco-town can play in delivering other planning, development and regeneration objectives (iv) The Eco-towns Programme itself. 2.3 The draft PPS proposes a range of ‘green standards’ which Eco-town proposals are expected to meet. These Eco-town standards are broadly as set out in the Progress Statement