PLYMOUTH & SOUTH WEST DEVON JOINT LOCAL PLAN 2014-2034 DUTY TO COOPERATE STATEMENT JULY 2017 JLP Duty to Cooperate Statement PLYMOUTH AND SOUTH WEST DEVON JOINT LOCAL PLAN. DUTY TO COOPERATE STATEMENT JULY 2017 1 JLP Duty to Cooperate Statement INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT The Duty to Cooperate was introduced in the Localism Act 2011 and relates to the preparation of local plans and other statutory planning policy documents that are of a strategic nature. The Act places a legal duty on local planning authorities, county councils in England and public bodies to engage constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis to maximise the effectiveness of Local and Marine Plan preparation in the context of strategic cross boundary matters. As set out in the Planning Practice Guidance published in March 2014, the Duty to Cooperate is not a duty to agree, however, local planning authorities are required to make every effort to secure the necessary cooperation on strategic cross boundary matters before they submit their Local Plans for examination. This Duty to Cooperate Statement relates to the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan 2014-2034 that has been prepared collaboratively by Plymouth City Council, West Devon Borough Council and South Hams District Council, and the process that led to the decision by the three local authorities to produce a joint Local Plan. These three neighbouring authorities are located in the south west of Devon. Map 1 showing Plymouth Housing Market Area in the context of neighbouring authorities This Statement sets out how Plymouth City Council, West Devon Borough Council and South Hams District Council used the Duty to Cooperate to come to a decision to prepare the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan 2014-2034 (JLP), and then continued to work with the Duty to Cooperate throughout the JLP process. The document has been prepared as evidence that will be considered by the Planning Inspector as part of the local plan examination. 2 JLP Duty to Cooperate Statement This document explains that through the Duty to Cooperate, three neighbouring local authorities that were initially progressing individual plans decided to constructively work together to prepare a joint local plan that would effectively address cross boundary strategic matters in one composite local plan. The LPAs of Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon saw the duty as an opportunity to produce a plan which for the first time sets out a strategy and key policies for the city and wider area bringing together the vision for growth and transformation of Plymouth with the approach of fostering sustainable, thriving towns and villages in the surrounding rural areas. Through the duty, it was agreed that the aspirations for each administrative area were complementary and should be planned together in order to ensure that growth takes place in a sustainable manner. Therefore, in the context of Plymouth and South West Devon, the Duty to Cooperate has not simply been demonstrated, it has positively led to three local authorities identifying common issues and deciding that they should collaborate on a Joint Local Plan. It is therefore considered that the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan shows that the three local authorities have fulfilled the Duty to Cooperate, have positively entered into the spirit of cooperation envisaged by the Duty, and that the JLP is a prime example of the approach to strategic planning advocated by the Housing White Paper. The Duty to Cooperate and Engagement with Neighbouring Authorities The Duty to Cooperate seeks to ensure that local planning authorities deliver effective strategic planning through their Local Plans by working with other local planning authorities beyond their own administrative boundaries. Engaging with other local authorities can help to ensure that social, environmental and economic issues are addressed effectively, for example, housing market and travel to work areas, river catchments and ecological networks may represent a more effective basis on which to plan for housing, transport, infrastructure, flood risk management, biodiversity and climate change mitigation and adaption. All these issues are not confined to administrative boundaries and require positive, constructive and continuous partnership working between local authorities. Prior to deciding to collaborate on the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan, Plymouth City Council, West Devon Borough Council and South Hams District Council had been working on their own individual Local Plans: Plymouth: The Plymouth Plan Part One (dealing with overarching strategy and policies) had been published as a draft. West Devon: The West Devon Our Plan had reached a Regulation 19 Pre-Submission consultation stage. South Hams: The South Hams Our Plan had reached an early Regulation 18 ‘Issues and Options’ stage. As part of these processes, the local authorities had been cooperating with each other, Devon County Council, Dartmoor National Park Authority and Cornwall Council. Cooperation was undertaken using the Devon Duty to Cooperate Protocol, a copy of which can be viewed here (http://www.devon.gov.uk/duty_to_cooperate_protocol.pdf ). This local authority cooperation resulted in a number of joint evidence base documents being produced that covered strategic matters such as the identification of the Plymouth Housing Market Area, housing needs, employment requirements, and 3 JLP Duty to Cooperate Statement impacts on sensitive environments (see Table 2 below). The cooperation also led to the identification of cross boundary issues that each local authority would need to address in their Local Plans (see Table 1 below). Some of these issues revolved around the emerging requirement for Plymouth City Council to work with its neighbours to explore whether some housing needs could be met within adjoining local authority areas. Further work had suggested that in particular, South Hams District Council and the City Council needed to work closely to find potential locations for urban extensions on the edge of Plymouth that were within the South Hams’ administrative area. From this early work, it quickly became apparent that Plymouth, South Hams and West Devon would need to work together closely to properly plan for the needs of the Plymouth HMA. A number of conclusions were reached around the strategic issues that needed to be addressed. An early expression of these issues was set out in the 2014 “Sub Regional Growth” Topic Paper produced by the City Council in collaboration with its Duty to Cooperate partners, and consulted upon as part of the Plymouth Plan Connections engagement. This topic paper can be accessed online: www.plymouth.objective.co.uk/portal/planning/ldf/plymouth_plan/pptp_sub_regional_growth Key Cross Boundary Issues Local Planning Authority Actions Taken Responsible Meeting the objectively West Devon Borough Joint Evidence commissioned from assessed need for new homes Council, South Hams District GVA to set out OAN. in the Plymouth HMA Council, Plymouth City Move to a Joint Local Plan. Council Further Joint evidence commissioned from PBA. Accommodating some of Plymouth City Council, South Re spective authority’s SHLAAs aligned. Plymouth’s growth in the city’s Hams District Council Move to a Joint Local Plan. urban fringe which is part of Further alignment of SHLAA processes South Hams District Council and site selection processes administrative area Setting a principle that Plymo uth City Council, South Move to a Joint Local Plan development taking place in Hams District Council Using approach of 2 Policy Areas (see the Plymouth urban fringe will Distribution Topic Paper (TP1) and be predominantly meeting Strategy Topic Paper (TP5) Plymouth’s needs, given that most of the communities in this area already function as part of the city, including the Sherford new community Identifying those features of Plymouth City Council, South Several j oint evidence base documents the urban fringe which set Hams District Council, West produced on landscape, environmental Plymouth’s ‘limits to growth’ – Devon Borough Council, designations, recreation requirements, for example the Plym Valley, Dartmoor National Park most notably EN22 and EN22A, and the Areas of Outstanding Authority. HRA (SUB10). Natural Beauty around Move to a Joint Local Plan. Plymouth Sound and the Tamar Estuary, and Dartmoor National Park. 4 JLP Duty to Cooperate Statement Key Cross Boundary Issues Local Planning Authority Actions Taken Responsible Identifying the role of Plymouth City Council, South Move to a Joint Local Plan. Broadley Park (Roborough) Hams District Council Aligning Employment Need and Langage in helping to meet Assessments with OAN at the HMA the employment land needs level (EC8) arising from the city’s growth, as well as the potential role of some of the land at Sherford. Setting out a single strategic Plymouth City Council, South Move to a Joint Local Plan spatial vision for the Plymouth Hams District Council, West HMA which brings together Devon Borough Council, the above matters Dartmoor National Park Authority. The capacity of the Tamar Plymouth City Council, Joint Evidence produced and crossings between Plymouth Cornwall Council, Highways Commissioned (see below) and Cornwall, and capacity of England the wider road network Strategic transport links Plymouth City Council, West Move to a Joint Local Plan. between Plymouth and Devon Borough Council, Joint evidence to be commissioned Tavistock Devon County Council. setting out solutions.