Issue - meetings

To consider the head of planning’s report. 

Cabinet considered the head of planning’s report that sought approval to designate Great Faringdon parish as the neighbourhood area for the production of a Faringdon neighbourhood plan.  The corporate plan included a specific objective to encourage communities to develop neighbourhood plans as a means of shaping their local environment. 

The council was developing the Faringdon neighbourhood plan with Faringdon Town Council.  The cabinet member for planning declared that he was also a Faringdon town councillor but that this was not a disclosable pecuniary interest.  He highlighted the advantages of this neighbourhood plan as:

·        providing an excellent learning opportunity which might help inform how neighbourhood planning could be pursued more widely across the district

·        demonstrating a clear commitment to localism and the more collaborative approach to plan-making supported by the new planning system

·        helping to inform the emerging core strategy

The neighbourhood planning regulations required the council to publicise any applications to designate the plan area.  The town council had applied for the whole of the parish of Great Faringdon to be designated as the plan area.  Cabinet supported this proposal.  The town council had indicated that it had no wish to consider strategic housing sites as part of the neighbourhood plan. 

Cabinet noted that the plan development process consisted of three main stages.  Once the plan had been drafted it would be subjected to an examination stage, followed by a referendum, and then publication.  The costs could be in the region of £14,000 to £21,000.  To assist, the government had provided a grant of £20,000 as Faringdon had been chosen as a front runner in this scheme.  This grant was to cover administration costs of the examination stage, the referendum, and publication.  Should the costs exceed £20,000, there would be a need to seek additional funds from the council’s contingency budget. 

RESOLVED: To designate the whole of Great Faringdon parish as a neighbourhood area under section 61G of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 for the purpose of producing a neighbourhood plan for Faringdon.