Charles F Lant LLB MCIH NOTE: The Council is now webcasting all Chief Executive its public meetings. This meeting will be broadcast live on the Council’s website and the record archived for future viewing. My SL Council Offices, Vicarage Lane Reference Hailsham Ask for Sarah Lawrence, Democratic Services Officer, Tel: East Sussex BN27 2AX Tel : (01323) 443322 01892 602720, email: [email protected] Fax : (01892) 602222 DX: 38303 Hailsham e-mail : [email protected] Date Wednesday, 27 June 2018 website : www.wealden.gov.uk To: Members of the LOCAL PLAN SUB-COMMITTEE:- Councillors A Newton (Chairman), R Standley (Deputy Chairman), N Collinson, R Galley, J Howell, S Stedman and S Shing. Dear Councillor LOCAL PLAN SUB-COMMITTEE - Thursday, 5TH JULY, 2018 Your attendance is requested at a meeting of the LOCAL PLAN SUB-COMMITTEE to be held in Civic Community Hall, Vicarage Lane, HAILSHAM on Thursday, 5th July, 2018 at 2.30 p.m. The Agenda for the meeting is set out below: AGENDA 1. APOLOGIES: Apologies for absence as reported at the meeting. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST To receive declarations of personal and prejudicial interests in respect of items on this agenda. 3. Minutes (Pages 1 - 10) To resolve that the Minutes of the last meeting as circulated on the Agenda be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. REPORTS 4. Wealden Local Plan - Draft Proposed Submission Document (Pages 11 - 640) 5. URGENT BUSINESS To consider any other items which the Chairman decides are urgent for the reasons stated. 6. EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC To give consideration under the Local Government Act 1972, Section 100(A)(4), to the public being excluded from the meeting during discussion of the following item(s) of business (if any) on the grounds that it/they involve(s) the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act. 7. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting of the Committee will be held as required. CHARLES LANT Chief Executive Agenda Item 3 Minutes of meeting of the LOCAL PLAN SUB-COMMITTEE held on Monday, 13 March, 2017 in Civic Community Hall, Vicarage Lane, HAILSHAM (10.00 a.m. to 1.50 p.m.) PRESENT: Councillors A Newton (Chairman), N Collinson, J Howell, R Standley, S Stedman and S Shing. In attendance were the Director of Planning Policy & Economic Development (N Hannam), Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development (M Brigginshaw), Senior Heritage Officer (J Tucker), Local Plan Team Leader (K Sharp) and Democratic Services Officer (S Lawrence). APOLOGIES: Apologies for absence were received from Councillor R Galley. 17/1 MINUTES The minutes of the meeting held on 8th June 2016 were confirmed and signed as a correct record. 17/2 PETITIONS Councillor Ann Newton read out the titles of each of the following petitions and thanked the petitioners for submitting them, and noted the number of signatures: A) Save East Hoathly from Over Development – 253 signatures B) Petition in opposition to the designation of sites in Little London Road (Old Common to Lions Lodge) and New Pond Hill, Cross in Hand, Heathfield as being suitable for housing development – 58 signatures. C) Petition in opposition to indicated ‘potential’ housing sites fronting Ghyll Road & Pook Reed Lane, Heathfield – 37 signatures D) Enhancing the Cuckoo Trail – 18 signatures She confirmed these petitions had been taken into account in the preparation of the Wealden Local Plan – Draft Proposed Submission Document. 17/3 WEALDEN LOCAL PLAN - DRAFT PROPOSED SUBMISSION DOCUMENT The Head of Planning Policy and Economic Development, Marina Brigginshaw, presented the Wealden Local Plan Draft Proposed Submission document which had been prepared to go out for consultation. This had been prepared following testing of the preferred option arising from the consideration of Issues and Options and Recommendations document. In order to enable appropriate presentation of the document and questions from Members, the Local Plan Draft Submission Document was presented to the Sub-Committee in groups of chapters with opportunities for Members to ask questions at each stage. Miss Brigginshaw advised that the Proposed Submission Document (set out at Appendix A to the agenda report) had been prepared based on the delivery of 14,101 homes across a plan period of 2013-2028. The report also contained an alternative option of 11,456 dwellings. The reduction in the number of homes and the length of the plan period had been a result of evidence gathered during the testing of the preferred option, which showed that development across the District and associated traffic movements had a more substantial impact on the air quality and ecology of the Ashdown Forest Special Area of Conservation (SAC) than previously understood. Monitoring had shown that the levels of nitrogen deposition across the forest varied significantly, but that the levels of nitrogen disposition alongside forest roads was above acceptable levels, and that the critical load on the SAC overall had been exceeded. Since the agenda had been published, further information had been received, which had led to a reduction in the number of homes being proposed to 11,456. A briefing note was tabled setting out the key scenarios which had been tested, and Miss Brigginshaw guided Members through the implications of the evidence. She explained that the document set out the impact on the forest of the scenario of the original preferred option of around 21,000 homes up to 2037, the option for 14,101 homes up to 2028, the option for 11,456 up to 2028, and the impact of the current permissions. By reducing the numbers of homes in the Plan to 11,456 up to 2028 and locating development primarily in the south of Wealden, it would be possible to reduce the impact on the SAC to within Natural England recommended levels (which applied regardless of whether the critical load had already been exceeded), and to reduce the percentage of area in the forest affected. It was noted that the legislation required that the Council looked at the implications on the SAC of the plan alone, and in combination with other plans and proposals, including those of neighbouring authorities. It was emphasised that there was a need to balance the need for development with what was acceptable in terms of ecological impact, and a range of compensatory measures would be developed to apply where damage did take place, in particular alongside forest roads. It was recognised that having a Plan based upon 11,456 dwellings delivered between 2013 and 2028 would result in changes to the allocations sites and the SHEELA (Strategic Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment) sites. Miss Brigginshaw confirmed that in general employment land policies would remain the same, with the exception that the allocations in Polegate and Willingdon would be removed. Retail provision and gypsy and traveller site provision remained unchanged. The Committee heard that the development boundaries had been reviewed in the light of the evidence base and would be identified even in many areas with no allocations. Policy WLP5 would need to be amended to reflect the reduction to 11,456 homes overall, and a summary of the new distribution in settlement areas was tabled and read out by the Chairman. This showed the distribution of 4,064 homes to be delivered up to 2028, with the remaining 7,392 homes related to consents or built property since the start of the plan period in 2013. In was confirmed that development outside development boundaries would not be supported unless it met other polices in the Plan. There was no windfall allocation in the plan, but there were contingency sites identified in specific areas, should applications not come forward in primary sites. Members were pleased to see that the plan continued to emphasise the primacy of town centres and high streets for retail development. The following comments and questions were raised by Members, following the introduction of each group of chapters by Miss Brigginshaw: (1) Implications for current and approved planning applications – It was confirmed that these were already included. However, applications at pre-application stage were not taken into account and would need to be assessed under the new requirements. (2) Implications for meeting Housing Need and the 5 year land supply – The Objectively Assessed Housing Need had increased to 950 dwellings per annum up to 2028 as a result of new demographic profiling. It was confirmed that once the Plan was adopted the housing need would be assessed as the numbers in the Plan. Until adopted, the protection of the Ashdown Forest and the evidence base supporting this was a legitimate reason not to meet the 5 year land supply requirement. (3) Impact of Neighbouring Authority Plans – It was confirmed that the nitrogen deposition had been shown in the modelling to be affected by a wider development area than previously understood. The Council was required to look at the deposition arising from its own Plan and in combination with others. The Council would be working with other Local Authorities to look at the impact of their plans. If their numbers increased, this might have an impact on the numbers able to be delivered in the Wealden Local Plan. Miss Brigginshaw confirmed that representations setting out Wealden’s concern at the higher figures have been made to the Mid Sussex Local Plan Inspector. (4) Implications of EU legislation – It was confirmed that the Habitats Regulations were EU legislation, but principles were also enshrined in English Law. The Council had a good record of interpreting legislation and defending its position. (5) Swopping allocations and promoting community projects? Consideration has been given in the Plan to releasing allocations, where sites were not built out.