Report-Local Plan Preferred Option
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Item No. 9.1 Report of: Head of Economic Prosperity Contact Officer: Sushil Birdi / Heidi Hollins Contact Number: 01543 464326 Portfolio Leader: Economic Development & Planning Key Decision: Yes Report Track: Cabinet: 04/03/21 Cabinet 4 March 2021 Local Plan Preferred Option 1 Purpose of Report 1.1 To present the Cannock Chase Local Plan Preferred Option consultation document for approval and to seek authority to publicly consult on the document in line with the legal requirements and in line with the Council’s adopted Statement of Community Involvement Addendum 2020. 2 Recommendation(s) 2.1 Approve the Cannock Chase Local Preferred Option consultation document (Appendix A) and agrees for this to be published pursuant to regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) for a six week consultation period, the strategy for which will be carried out in line with the Council’s adopted Statement of Community Involvement Addendum December 2020. 2.2 Authorise the Head of Economic Prosperity in consultation with the Portfolio Leader for Economic Development and Planning to make any non-substantive changes considered necessary to the document prior to it being published and agree the arrangements for the consultation. 2.3 Agree to delegate finalisation of the accompanying documentation for the Preferred Option, and an updated evidence base to include the Economic Development Needs Assessment Covid-19 Update December 2020, Cannock Chase Heritage Impact Assessment September 2020, Baseline Report Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation March 2020, Final Report Climate Item No. 9.2 Change and Mitigation November 2020, Cannock Chase Stage 2 Green Belt Review 2021 and Cannock Chase Retail and Town Centre Uses Study January 2021, Integrated Impact Asessment and Development Capacity Study 2021 to the Head of Economic Prosperity in consultation with the Portfolio Leader for Economic Development and Planning. 2.4 Agree to delegate finalisation of the dates for a six week consultation period to the Head of Economic Prosperity in consultation with the Portfolio Leader for Economic Development and Planning. 3 Key Issues and Reasons for Recommendations Key Issues 3.1 This report seeks authority to consult on the Preferred Option stage of the new Local Plan for the district. The consultation document is included as Appendix A. This stage is a non-statutory consultation, that allows consideration of the emerging proposals and policies that will form the basis of the Draft Plan. 3.2 The Local Plan evidence base has been further updated and a number of supporting documents will be published at the time of the consultation in order to present evidence and context for the Preferred Option consultation. These documents are Economic Development Needs Assessment Update 2020, Heritage Impact Assessment, Climate Change Baseline Report, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategy 2020, Cannock Chase Stage 2 Green Belt Review and Cannock Chase Retail and Town Centre Uses Study January 2021, Integrated Impact Assessment and Development Capacity study 2021. The previous consultation presented a Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal report (including Equality Impact Assessment and Health Impact Assessment), Habitat Regulations Assessment Scoping Report, updated Infrastructure Delivery Plan, Economic Development Needs Assessment, Housing Needs Assessment and Gypsy and Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Needs Assessment. 3.3 Consultation will take place for a six-week period to be agreed by the Head of Economic Prosperity in consultation with the Portfolio Leader for Economic Development and Planning. Consultation will be taken in accordance with the Council’s adopted Statement of Community Involvement Addendum December 2020. It is anticipated consultation will commence mid-March and run to the end of April 2021. Reasons for Recommendations 3.4 The current Local Plan (Part 1) was adopted in 2014. Work ceased on Local Plan (Part 2) following Council resolution (21st February 2018) to enable a full review of the Local Plan to proceed that would incorporate both Part 1 and Part 2 in a new Local Plan. Item No. 9.3 3.5 The Greater Birmingham and Black Country Housing Market Area (GBBCHMA) housing shortfall had emerged during this period, requiring consideration across the entire Housing Market Area. In order to start to address the shortfall, Local Plans needed to align to a longer timeframe and test development scenarios that could potentially meet the shortfall over the plan period. 3.6 The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) introduce a statutory requirement, under Regulation 10A, that from 6 April 2018 Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) must review their Local Plan within five years of the date of adoption. The Local Plan Review commenced in 2018. 3.7 The recent ‘Planning for the Future’ White Paper signalled the Government’s ambition for a new streamlined plan making system and a requirement for up- to-date Local Plans to be in place by December 2023. This has been reinforced with a letter from the Housing Minister dated 19th January 2021. 3.8 The Local Development Scheme 2021 sets out a timetable to adopt a new Local Plan within the government’s timeline based on the current National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). 4 Relationship to Corporate Priorities 4.1 This report supports the Council’s Corporate Priorities as follows: (i) Promoting prosperity by helping to create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity and ensuring sufficient land is allocated for a range of housing and employments uses, linking these to opportunities for developing skills and encouraging a balanced portfolio of employment opportunities. Supporting town centres to adapt to changing demands to ensure they are vibrant and diverse centres. (ii) The Local Plan will contribute to ‘Promoting Prosperity’ by setting out plans to accommodate housing and employment growth that will supplement and enhance the physical, economic, social and environmental characteristics of the district up to 2038. 5 Report Detail 5.1 The Local Plan (Part 1) was adopted in June 2014, spanning the period 2006 to 2028. It provided a strategy for growth and environmental protection in the District setting out the scale, quantum and distribution of development and policies for delivery. Section 1 incorporates the Core Strategy and Section 2 formed the Rugeley Town Centre Area Action Plan. The Local Plan (Part 2) would have allocated sites for development of different types to provide a more detailed policy perspective. The new Local Plan will include Part 1 being the Core Strategy and Part 2 containing site allocations. Rugeley Town Centre Area Action Plan would be subsumed within the Local Plan. Item No. 9.4 5.2 Together with the Local Development Scheme 2021 to 2024 the Local Plan will consist of The Waste Local Plan for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (2010 - 2026), adopted by Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council on 22nd March 2013 and the Minerals Local Plan for Staffordshire (2015 - 2030), adopted by Staffordshire County Council on the 16th February 2017. These documents as well as Neighbourhood Plans prepared by Parish Councils will set out the policies and principles against which planning applications are assessed and determined. 5.3 Council resolved to cease work on the Local Plan (Part 2) to prioritise a review of the Local Plan (Part 1) that would need to reflect changing circumstances at a national level with a new National Planning Policy Framework, and at a regional level with the shortfall in housing across the Greater Birmingham and Black Country Housing Market Area (GBBCHMA). These changes were incorporated within the Local Development Scheme 2018 which forms the timetable for Local Plan production. This is a statutory requirement and is used by Government to measure the Council’s performance in terms of Local Plan delivery and the LDS has since been revised in 2019 and 2021. 5.4 Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended), requires Local Planning Authorities to set out, at the outset of Local Plan preparation, the subject of a Local Plan which must be consulted on and representations invited on what the Plan should contain in relation to that subject. The Issues and Scope document and consultation fulfilled this requirement and consultation was undertaken in summer 2018 and feedback provided to Cabinet on 8 November 2018. Similarly, the next iteration of the Plan, namely the Issues and Options document, consultation for which was carried out between 13 May 2019 and 8 July 2019. Supporting documents were consulted on at the same time, including the Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal (Incorporating the Equalities Impact Assessment and Health Impact Assessment), the Habitats Regulations scoping report, updated Infrastructure Delivery Plan, and updated evidence base that included Economic Development Needs Assessment, Housing Needs Assessment as the Gypsy and Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Needs Assessment. 5.5 Consultation took the form of meetings, consultation events, social media campaigns and targeted letters and emails. Representations were received from residents, neighbouring authorities, infrastructure providers, statutory consultees, community organisations, land and property agents/surveyors, charity organisations, developers, landowners