Woking Local Development Framework Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) Consultation Statement June 2011 Planning Policy Woking Borough Council, Civic Offices, Gloucester Square, Woking, Surrey GU21 6YL www.woking.gov.uk/LDF 01483 743871 Woking LDF – Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) Consultation statement: June 2011 Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. Consultation 4 3. Results of the consultation 5 4. Dealing with representations 5 5. What happens next? 5 Appendix A: The representation form 6 Appendix B: List of consultees 10 Appendix C: The proposals matters 16 Appendix D: The press release 17 Appendix E: Summary of representations and the council response 19 and recommendations Appendix F: Copies of all representations 25 Woking LDF – Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 2 Consultation statement: June 2011 1.0 Introduction 1.1 The Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) forms part of Woking’s Local Development Framework. The Council’s original SCI was adopted on 22 February 2007. The document has been updated to reflect changes made to the planning system since then. The community was consulted on the draft of the updated SCI and this document has further been amended to take into account comments received during the consultation. 1.2 The original SCI underwent three rounds of community consultation. The community was consulted twice during the production of the SCI and then the Council also consulted stakeholders and the community on the submission draft of the SCI to assess its ‘soundness’. The assessment is undertaken in accordance with the ‘tests of soundness’ as set out by Planning Policy Statement 12 (2004). 1.3 The original SCI was submitted to the Secretary of State through the Government Office for the South East (GOSE) for independent examination. The changes to the planning process introduced in the Planning Act 2008 and associated revised regulations, together with revised national guidance in the updated Planning Policy Statement 12: Local Spatial Planning (2008) mean that the updated SCI does not have to be subject to independent examination. 1.4 This document outlines how the Statement of Community Involvement has been produced including details of the consultation which took place between 11 November 2010 and 7 January 2011 by detailing: · who was involved in the consultation · how people were involved · the main issues that were raised · the Council’s response to representations and recommendations. 1.5 This consultation report has been produced in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 (as amended). Woking LDF – Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 3 Consultation statement: June 2011 2.0 Consultation 2.1 Following earlier rounds of consultation the original Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) was amended and formally submitted to the Secretary of State, through the Government Office for the South East on 27 July 2006. The Council consulted on the submitted SCI over a six week period from 27 July to 7 September 2006 in accordance with Regulation 28 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004. Consultees were encouraged to respond to the consultation using a representation form which enabled objections to the SCI to be linked to the failure of a test of soundness. Full details of this consultation, the representations received and the responses to them can be found on the Council’s website: www.woking.gov.uk/planning/policy/ldf/sci/subrpt 2.2 Consultation on the updated SCI took place between 5 November 2010 and 7 January 2011. It was a joint consultation with the Draft Core Strategy and Sustainability Appraisal that accompanied it. Respondents were encouraged to respond using a representations form which was available both electronically and on paper. The same representations form was used for all three documents. A sample form can be found in Appendix A. 2.3 A copy of the statement of the proposals matters public advertisement can be found in Appendix C. The advertisement was placed in the Woking News and Mail on 4 November 2010. 2.4 The consultation was carried out as follows: · The SCI document, a statement of the proposals matters and representations form were made available for public viewing at the Council Offices, and at Woking, Byfleet, West Byfleet and Knaphill libraries. · The SCI document, and statement of proposals matters were available on the Council website, along with advice on where and when paper copies of the documents were available for inspection. The representation form was available as an electronic form (e-form) enabling completion via the website. When completed respondents were emailed a copy of their completed form as a PDF file. · Letter or emails were sent to all of the specific consultation bodies and general consultation bodies who are listed in The Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 (as amended) and relate to organisations responsible for services and utilities and infrastructure provision. The letters and emails contained links to the online copies of the documents and information of who to contact for paper copies. · Other people and organisations who had expressed an interest in the LDF, so had their detailed stored on the Council’s Local Development Framework database were also notified by letter or email that the consultation was taking place and the places where the documents could be viewed. · A press release and accompanying photo of the Planning Policy team drawing “2027” in sparklers was in the Woking News and Mail on 4 November 2010 and Woking Informer on 5 November 2010. 2.5 Copies of the newspaper articles advertising the consultation in Appendix D. Woking LDF – Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 4 Consultation statement: June 2011 3.0 Results of the Consultation 3.1 Although the Council encouraged consultees to respond using the representation form many general representations were still received. 3.2 Twelve individuals or organisations responded to the consultation regarding the update Statement of Community Involvement or regarding the consultation that was undertaken, of which eleven were considered to be duly made. Eighteen individual representations were received from the respondents. 3.3 No name or contact details were received from one respondent and no text was provided to provide reasons for their objection to the SCI so the representation was not considered to be duly made. 3.4 Of the eighteen representations considered to be duly made, five supported the SCI, one objected to the SCI, and twelve made general comments. 3.5 Appendix E summarises the representations made within the following categories: · Representations supporting all or part of the SCI or consultation process · Representations objecting to all or part of the SCI or consultation process · Representations making general comments · Representations not considered to be duly made 4.0 Dealing with representations 4.1 Copies of the full representations received are available appendix F on page 25. Copies of this document will be made available at the same locations as the SCI was available during the consultation: · the Council Offices · Woking library · Byfleet library · West Byfleet library · Knaphill library · Council website 4.2 The representations have also been published on the Council’s website. 4.3 The Council’s response to each of the issues raised has been included in Appendix E in the column “Officer Response” and “Officer Recommendation”. Where consultees have recommended how to improve the document the Council has provided reasons to justify why the recommendations may or may not be taken on board. 5.0 What happens next? 5.1 Detailed scrutiny of the SCI is provided by the Council’s Local Development Framework (LDF) Working Group, which is made up of Councillors from both political parties. The final version of the SCI will be reported to LDF WG in June 2011. If approved the document will then be taken to the Council’s Executive and then Full Council (14 July 2011) for approval as Council policy. Woking LDF – Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 5 Consultation statement: June 2011 Appendix A: The Representation Form: Page 1/4 Woking LDF – Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 6 Consultation statement: June 2011 Appendix A: The representation form: Page 2/4 Woking LDF – Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 7 Consultation statement: June 2011 Appendix A: The representation form: Page 3/4 Woking LDF – Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 8 Consultation statement: June 2011 Appendix A: The representation form: Page 4/4 Woking LDF – Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) 9 Consultation statement: June 2011 Appendix B – List of consultees Specific Consultation Bodies · Bisley Parish Council · SEEDA · Chobham Parish Council · Send Parish Council · Elmbridge Borough Council · South East Coast Strategic Health Authority · English Heritage South East Region · South West Trains Ltd · Entec UK Ltd · Southern Gas Networks · Environment Agency · Spelthorne Borough Council · Fairoaks Airport Ltd · Sport England South East · Guildford Borough Council · Surrey County Council · Highways Agency · Surrey Heath Borough Council · Homes and Communities Agency · Surrey PCT · Mobile Operators Association · Surrey Police · Natural England · Thames Water Property · Network Rail · The Coal Authority · North Surrey PCT · The Woking Partnership · Ockham Parish Council · Transco · Pirbright Parish Council · Veolia Water Central, · Ripley