Meeting Title

Minutes

Meeting Title: Cornwall Planning Partnership (CPP)

Date: 7 March 2017

Time: 10.00-12.00 noon

Location: Grenville Room, New County Hall, Truro

Chaired by: David Edmondson Chris Drake, Christine Boswell-Munday, John Roberts, Sarah Mason, Attendees: John Hesketh, Linda Coles, Martin Saunders, Peter Tisdale, Dave Simpson, Ashley Wood, Nic Phillips, Edwina Hannaford CC, Rita Lait, Bob Richards, Christine Vaughan, Rachel Smith, Maurice Vella, Steve Havers Apologies: David Lobban, Pauline Barrow, Mike Roberts

Minutes Action

1 Work programme for the Planning Partnership – it was agreed that the work programme will be circulated with the agenda and will be taken as read. Updates to the document will be shown in italics, and completed actions are shaded blue and moved to the end of the document. The Partnership ALL is looking for additional items to go on the work programme. 2 Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) update: SH attended to update on the latest position. Main points to note are below:  Cornwall Council are now at the stage of reporting back on the consultation during January on the draft CIL charging schedule. This will be a statutory document and will go through public examination to ensure the charge is reasonable (the key test).  There are five value zones/levels spread around Cornwall based on viability.  Following January, sites not needing to provide affordable housing since the change in Government policy, can now provide more CIL.  Strategic sites in the Allocations DPD will have zero-charged CIL but will fund infrastructure via S106s. S106s tie money to a particular piece of infrastructure whereas CIL doesn’t specify.  As part of the responses to the consultation exercise, there was some disagreement with the value zones but no contrary evidence was provided.  Viability is set at a modest rate so the lowest common denominator can afford it.  A key new issue since January is the St Ives Neighbourhood Plan policy regarding primary residence. Its implications are yet Minutes Action to become clear and the market response is unknown. It is proposed that the value zones will need to be reduced in such a policy area.  CIL Charging schedule is to go to Cabinet on 16.3.17 for approval to publish the Final Draft in May and subsequent submission to the Secretary of State for Examination.  A question and answer session followed and discussion on how the Partnership could ensure Local Council engagement on CIL policies. SH advised that the CPP input would need to be fed into the governance of how the remainder of the monies are distributed – a separate process from setting the level of charge.  It was agreed for a small group (2 clerks, 2 councillors) to work with SH to consider how to carry out engagement and provide input prior to next stage. Volunteers to the CIL sub-group were CD LC agreed as CD, LC, AW and BR. Outputs from the sub-group to AW BR be circulated to the whole Partnership for input.  NP to arrange initial meeting with SH and Partnership sub-group NP 3 Update from Portfolio Holder (EH) and Planning Peer Review (DS) – Main points below:  Peer Review update – DS updated on the Planning Committee observation exercise he undertook; this also included interviewing participants and making some recommendations. DS’ feedback will be considered by the Peer Review Improvement Board. The final report to the Peer Review Board has become more a vision for the future. EH/DE explained the ‘Delivering the Local Plan’ document which has presented the vision for creating better and more sustainable communities. Member engagement sessions have been held – last one is scheduled for 10.3.17. It was agreed it would be useful to ask Phil Mason to attend the first meeting after the elections to NP present the final version. NP to invite PM to 14.6.17 meeting.  EH updated on current actions relating to community engagement which it is hoped will complement the existing Cornwall pre-app protocol for Local Councils.  Green Infrastructure for Growth and Interreg are being concentrated on Threemilestone and St Austell. 4 Minutes/actions from last meeting – minutes were circulated with the agenda and taken as read. Outstanding actions are below:  The group is to consider a focus on the economy and commercial/business development as well as housing, and possibly to invite a member of the Local Enterprise Partnership to attend a future meeting. DE/NP  Work programme – DE/EH to raise the issue of compliance with obligations at the Developers Forum. Update: DE to raise DE at April Forum.  SM has asked DE to look into whether a list of all S106s in a

2 Minutes Action parish could be produced so this is included in the registration/profile form.  Interactive online resource - Agreed that DE will send a draft to PT/CBM/MR for proof-reading. Update: Feedback DE received and final amendments ongoing – to be ready for roll- out after May Elections. 5 AOB  Local Council consultation responses – reference to NDPs ALL – DE asked that a message be communicated to clerks asking that they refer to the specific relevant policies in their Neighbourhood Plans in consultation responses. RL also requested that planning case officers should specify the policies DE in their reports. DE to refer the issue back to DM Management Team (as part of the CPP update). It was agreed also to include ALL in newsletters the need to quote Local Plan policies in responses where possible.  Planning newsletter for Local Councils – RS explained that the quarterly newsletter had an open rate of less than 50% and that from enquiries received, it is apparent that some clerks are not digesting the information. It is also available on the website. RS asked for suggestions on what could be done to improve reading of the newsletters. Various suggestions were made including making it stand out, send it as an attachment, send hard copies; however the central issue is that only 50% of clerks are opening it. EH queried if it is a training issue for clerks. SM agreed to include it in the CALC newsletter as it is SM an issue for clerks. RS advised that information is also communicated on social media eg #planning on Twitter feed.  Membership of the Partnership post-May elections – It was agreed that the current members (pending re-election) SM would run until September, and that SM would start a call for new members in June in time for the September meeting. Pre-application Community Engagement (PACE) Forums – 6 DE introduced the proposed new process for planning community engagement. There are 3 different levels of engagement appropriate to the scale of a proposal. The third option open to developers is for a community engagement event facilitated by a local council which needs to dovetail with the adopted Cornwall pre-app protocol for Local Councils (this being one way that the third option could be achieved). Following discussion, questions and feedback from the group, the main points to note included:  Process is being considered by the Informal Planning & Development Improvement Group on 7.3.17 (Full PACE Forum would replace the current pre-app briefing process).  If a developer undertakes a Level 1 or 2 PACE Forum, then this would not automatically exclude an event facilitated by the parish. The need to involve the Local Council is emphasised in all options for community engagement.  Addressing a question regarding what would encourage

3 Minutes Action developers to undertake this community engagement, DE/NP confirmed that this process will be embedded in the current pre- application service guidance and Planning Performance Agreement protocol. Pre-application advice will include a discussion and recommendation of the appropriate level of community engagement, and applicants will be expected to be able to demonstrate how they have engaged with local residents.  NP explained how it is envisaged that the process would work including publicity of Forums. It was agreed that parish events could also be uploaded to the Community Engagement webpage NP for upcoming events. NP to draft template for local councils to NP use for these events for website upload.  NP to investigate if the Public Access/website alert system could be used to notify residents of an upcoming PACE event. NP Future meetings: 7  Date – 14 June 2017, 5 September 2017, 12 December 2017

Meeting closed at 12.05 pm