Agenda and minutes

To record the attendance of Substitute Members, if any, who have been authorised to attend in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 17(1), with notification having been given to the proper Officer before the start of the meeting and to receive apologies for absence.

The attendance of Substitute Members who had been authorised to attend in accordance with the provisions of Standing Order 17(1) was recorded as referred to above with apologies for absence having been received from Councillors Matthew Barber, Monica Lovatt, Jim Moley and John Woodford.

To receive any declarations of Personal or Personal and Prejudicial Interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

In accordance with Part 2 of the Local Code of Conduct and the provisions of Standing Order 34, any Member with a personal interest must disclose the existence and nature of that interest to the meeting prior to the matter being debated.  Where that personal interest is also a prejudicial interest, then the Member must withdraw from the room in which the meeting is being held and not seek improperly to influence any decision about the matter unless he/she has obtained a dispensation from the Standards Committee.

Councillor Mary de Vere declared a personal interest in item 6 'Vale of White Horse Local Plan to 2011 - Local Plan Policies' in so far as it referred to the Harwell Campus where she worked (minute DC.314 refers). 

To receive notification of any matters, which the Chair determines, should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances, which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the Chair.

The Chair asked all those in attendance to ensure their mobile telephones were switched to silent mode during the meeting. 

Any statements and/or petitions from the public under Standing Order 32 will be made or presented at the meeting.

Jo Langdon, of Pro Vision, made a statement on behalf of Letcombe Regis Parish Council, objecting to the recommendation to endorse the Local Plan Inquiry Inspector's conclusions and allocate 100 dwellings at the former Dow site in that village.  Less than five months previous, the Committee had refused an application for 99 dwellings; one of the reasons being that the development would inappropriately increase the size of the village.  She believed the proposed allocation would lead to unsustainable development in this rural area and referred to Local Plan policies and Government advice that supported her argument.  She pointed to the many objections to the proposed allocation and criticised the County Council's change of mind to no longer object to 100 dwellings on highway grounds.  She believed the Local Plan Inquiry Inspector had not been aware of all the detail and urged the Committee to overturn his recommendation. 

Any questions from members of the public under Standing Order 32 will be asked at the meeting.

None

To receive and consider report 253/05 of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group and make recommendations to the Executive for modifications to the Local Plan. 

MEMBERS ARE REQUESTED TO RETAIN THIS AGENDA FOR USE AT MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE (IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THIS MEETING) AND THE COUNCIL (22 MARCH).  THE REPORTS WITHIN THIS AGENDA HAVE BEEN SENT TO EVERY MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL AND HAVE BEEN PRINTED ONLY ONCE TO SAVE PAPER. 

(Councillor Mary de Vere declared a personal interest in this item and in accordance with Standing Order 34, she remained in the meeting during its consideration.)

The Committee received and considered report 253/05 of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group, which set out recommendations for changes to the Local Plan following receipt of the Local Plan Inquiry Inspector's report.  These changes were set out in a series of schedules, including the Inspector's recommendations and the Advisory Group's views on those recommendations. 

The Committee considered the major issues in some detail, noting that many of the other changes recommended by the Inspector were of a minor nature and had been supported by all Members of the Advisory Group.  The Committee largely agreed with the views of the Advisory Group but added a number of changes of its own. 

The major issue debated by the Committee was the Inspector's recommendation concerning the proposed allocation of 100 dwellings on the former Dow site at Letcombe Regis.  Further to the report, Members were advised that the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group had met again on 15 March 2006 and recommended that the Inspector’s policy for the former Dow site should be accepted for the reasons set out in paragraphs 8.20.33 – 8.20.50 of his report.  An amended schedule was circulated prior to the meeting outlining this. 

The Local Member spoke against the Advisory Group's recommendation for a number of reasons.  He believed that the proposed development of the site should not have been included in the first place, feeling that all of the issues had not been properly considered.  The officers at Oxfordshire County Council had changed their minds, no longer objecting to the allocation on highways grounds.  He criticised this decision and questioned what had changed to alter their opinion.  He urged the Committee to ignore this view and reject the Inspector's recommendation, thereby protecting the village from unsustainable development.  He suggested that the fall back position of a continuation of the B1 office use of the site was always a possibility and would have been taken into account in the Council's earlier decision.  The Local Member's objection was supported by some other Members of the Committee. 

Other Members believed that the Advisory Group's recommendations should be supported as the Council would need a very good reason to overturn the Inspector's recommendation.  With the latest view from the County Council removing the highways objections, it was considered that there was, reluctantly, no longer a good reason to oppose the Inspector's view.  By nine votes to eight, the Committee accepted the Advisory Group's recommendation.   

RESOLVED   

that the Executive be recommended to recommend on to the Council:

(a)               That, subject to the further amendments set out below, the schedules set out in Appendix 2 to report 253/05 be published as the Council’s statement of decisions on the Inspectors' reports and recommendations on the joint Didcot Local Plan Inquiry and the Vale of White Horse Local Plan Inquiry:

(i)         amend paragraph 2.11  ...  view the full minutes text for item 314.

To receive and consider report 254/05 of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group and make recommendations to the Executive for modifications to the Local Plan Supplementary Planning Guidance.  

MEMBERS ARE REQUESTED TO RETAIN THIS AGENDA FOR USE AT MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE (IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THIS MEETING) AND THE COUNCIL (22 MARCH).  THE REPORTS WITHIN THIS AGENDA HAVE BEEN SENT TO EVERY MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL AND HAVE BEEN PRINTED ONLY ONCE TO SAVE PAPER. 

The Committee received and considered report 254/05 of the Deputy Director (Planning and Community Strategy) regarding Supplementary Planning Guidance to be adopted alongside the Local Plan to 2011.  The Committee also considered the views of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group on the Supplementary Planning Guidance. 

Members debated the affordable housing tenure mix recommended in the report.  This suggested that of the 40% affordable housing on development sites above Local Plan thresholds, 30% should be rented accommodation and 10% shared equity housing.  An amendment was suggested by Councillor Terry Cox that the mix should be more in line with that in the Second Deposit Draft Local Plan and suggested a 25% rented and 15% shared equity mix, thereby allowing more people to enter the housing ownership market.  This was put to the meeting and lost on the vote by ten votes to five with two abstentions.  Other than that issue, Members supported the Advisory Group's recommendations without dissent. 

RESOLVED

that the Executive be recommended to recommend on to the Council:

 (a)       that the Supplementary Planning Guidance adopted alongside the Local Plan to 2001, as listed in Appendix 1 to report 254/05, be deleted with effect from 23 March 2006;

(b)        that the Supplementary Planning Guidance adopted alongside the Local Plan to 2001, as listed in Appendix 2 to report 254/05, be retained for use as development control advice from the time the Local Plan 2011 is adopted;

(c)        that the Supplementary Planning Guidance published alongside the First and Second Deposit Local Plan 2011, as listed in Appendix 3 to report 254/05, be deleted from 23 March 2006; and

(d)        that the Supplementary Planning Guidance, contained in Appendices 4 to 16 to report 254/05, be amended as indicated subject to the further amendments set out below, and be republished for consultation from 23 March to 4 May 2006:

None

The meeting rose at 20.54pm.