Agenda item

 

Cabinet, at its meeting on 3 October 2014, considered the report of the head of planning on the draft Local Plan 2031. The report set out an overview of the main changes to the draft plan and asked Cabinet to recommend the Council to agree the draft Local Plan 2031 Part 1: Strategic Sites and Policies for publication for the purposes of pre-submission (Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012) public consultation, and thereafter for submission to the Secretary of State for independent examination, together with supporting evidence base studies, topic papers and summaries of the consultation responses received (Regulation 22). 

 

At its meeting Cabinet considered the views aired at the Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 25 September 2014 as set out in the draft minutes of the Scrutiny Committee meeting (available on the council’s website). The report considered by Cabinet at its meeting on 3 October 2014 and a schedule of substantive changes circulated at the Cabinet meeting are attached.

 

The following documents, that have informed the plan making process, are available on the council’s website with the agenda for this meeting:

 

·         Local Plan 2031 Part 1(Publication Version)

·         Sustainability Appraisal Report

·         Habitat Regulations Assessment Report

·         Consultation Statement and summary report

·         Infrastructure Delivery Plan

 

At its meeting on 3 October 2014 Cabinet authorised the head of planning in consultation with the Cabinet member for planning policy, to make minor changes and corrections to the Local Plan prior to Council on 15 October 2014. Any such changes will be reported to Council.

 

 

RECOMMENDATION to Council:

 

1.    that the Pre-submission draft Local Plan 2031 Part 1: Strategic Sites and Policies, associated documents (submission Policies Map, Sustainability Appraisal, Appropriate Assessment, Infrastructure Delivery Plan, Consultation Statements) and supporting evidence base studies and topic papers, be published for Pre-Submission public consultation for a period of six weeks under Regulations 19 and 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012,

 

and thereafter;

 

2.    to authorise the head of planning in consultation with the Cabinet member for planning policy to submit the Submission Local Plan 2031 and all associated documents together with the summarised Pre-Submission public consultation responses to the Secretary of State for independent examination under Regulation 20 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012; and

 

3.    to authorise the head of planning in consultation with the Cabinet member for planning policy, to make minor changes and corrections to the Local Plan prior to both the publication for consultation and submission.

 

 

Cabinet, at its meeting on 3 October 2014, considered the report of the head of planning on the draft Local Plan 2031 and the views aired at the Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 25 September 2014. The report set out an overview of the main changes to the draft plan. Cabinet resolved to recommend the Council to agree the draft Local Plan 2031 Part 1: Strategic Sites and Policies for publication for the purposes of pre-submission (Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012) public consultation, and thereafter for submission to the Secretary of State for independent examination, together with supporting evidence base studies, topic papers and summaries of the consultation responses received (Regulation 22). 

 

Councillor Matthew Barber moved and Councillor Mike Murray seconded a motion to approve Cabinet’s recommendation subject to an amendment to the classification of Botley to ensure Oxford City Council’s policies on district centres as defined in their Local Plan would not apply to Botley as set out below:

 

To remove the phrases

 

• “Botley also functions as a district centre in the context of Oxford City’, and,
• equivalent to a district centre in the Oxford City context”

 

from policy boxes 3 and 11 respectively, and placing the wording that indicates Botley is equivalent to a district centre in the Oxford city context within the clarification text in paragraphs 5.28 to 5.31.

 

RECOMMENDATION to Council:

 

1.    that the Pre-submission draft Local Plan 2031 Part 1: Strategic Sites and Policies, associated documents (submission Policies Map, Sustainability Appraisal, Appropriate Assessment, Infrastructure Delivery Plan, Consultation Statements) and supporting evidence base studies and topic papers, be published for Pre-Submission public consultation for a period of six weeks under Regulations 19 and 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012,

 

and thereafter;

 

2.    to authorise the head of planning in consultation with the Cabinet member for planning policy to submit the Submission Local Plan 2031 and all associated documents together with the summarised Pre-Submission public consultation responses to the Secretary of State for independent examination under Regulation 20 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012; and

 

3.    to authorise the head of planning in consultation with the Cabinet member for planning policy, to make minor changes and corrections to the Local Plan prior to both the publication for consultation and submission.

 

 

Councillor Jerry Patterson moved and Councillor Richard Webber seconded the following amendment:

 

To refer the matter back to the Cabinet for reconsideration and to request the Cabinet to make the following amendments:

 

1. On page 67 “The Oxford Green Belt”, amend paragraph 5.39 to read  “The purpose of the Oxford Green Belt is to prevent urban sprawl around Oxford, to prevent coalescence of settlements, to preserve the setting of Oxford, to safeguard the countryside, and to assist urban regeneration by encouraging development of brownfield and urban land.”

 

2. On page 67 “The Oxford Green Belt”, delete paragraphs 5.40, 5.41 & 5.42.

 

3. On page 69, in Core Policy 13, first paragraph, delete the words “as amended following local Green Belt Review”.

 

4. Remove the four Strategic Site Allocations in the Green belt as follows:

 

North West Abingdon on Thames 200 dwellings

North Abingdon on Thames 800 dwellings

South Kennington 270 dwellings

North West Radley 240 dwellings

 

5. Remove all references to the “local Green Belt Review”.

 

6. Commit to a full and proper review of the entirety of the Oxford Green Belt, in conjunction with Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, South Oxfordshire District Council, West Oxfordshire District Council and Oxfordshire County Council.

 

7. Reinstate to Green Belt designation all sites suggested for removal from the Oxford Green Belt in the Council's 28 February 2014 Housing Supply Consultation document (ref illustration on page 68).

 

and to submit revised proposals to Council.

 

Those councillors in support of the amendment expressed the view that the Local Plan as proposed offered no protection to the Green Belt and would encourage developers to favour development in the more profitable Green Belt rather than less profitable sites. They called for a comprehensive review of the Green Belt to avoid its perceived piecemeal erosion and the destruction of green parcels of land between settlements. They questioned the basis for the need to provide the level of houses referred to in the SHMA which assumed sustained levels of economic growth and employment. Much of the anticipated increase in employment would be in publicly funded research posts and the agricultural sector and as such these workers might not be able to afford the house prices.

 

Those opposing the amendment expressed the view that whilst rejecting housing proposals in the Green Belt it offered no alternatives. Without a Local Plan speculative development could continue resulting in unsustainable developments in areas which could not support additional housing.

 

The chairman called for a recorded vote on the amendment.

 

For	Against	Abstentions
Councillors:	Councillors:
Margaret Crick	John Amys	Angela Lawrence
Tony de Vere	Marilyn Badcock
Debby Hallett	Mike Badcock
Jeanette Halliday	Matthew Barber
Jim Halliday	Eric Batts
Jenny Hannaby	Yvonne Constance
Dudley Hoddinott	Roger Cox
Bob Johnston	Charlotte Dickson
Pat Lonergan	St John Dickson
Ron Mansfield	Gervase Duffield
Sue Marchant	Jason Fiddaman
Julie Mayhew-Archer	Anthony Hayward
Elizabeth Miles	Simon Howell
Jerry Patterson	Bill Jones
Helen Pighills	MohinderKainth
Judy Roberts	Sandy Lovatt
Val Shaw	Aidan Melville
Andrew Skinner	Gill Morgan
Catherine Webber	Mike Murray
Richard Webber	Julia Reynolds
John Woodford	Fiona Roper
	Robert Sharp
	Janet Shelley
	Alison Thomson
	Melinda Tilley
	Margaret Turner
	Reg Waite
	Elaine Ware
Totals: 21	28	1

 

 

The chairman declared the amendment lost.

 

 

A number of councillors welcomed the clarification of the status of Botley included in the motion following discussions between councillors Hallett, Roberts and Barber.

 

Those opposing the original motion questioned the economic forecasts used to support the need for increased housing. The economic forecasts were unrealistic, house building targets could not be achieved. The existing infrastructure was inadequate and improvements in infrastructure would be targeted in the urban areas at the expense of rural communities. The council should question the SHMA figures and not simply accept them as justification for increased house building.

 

Those supporting the motion welcomed the Local Plan which would address the risk from the expansion of Oxford, allow the council to gain control of developments, put an end to speculative development and meet the council’s obligation to have such a plan in place.  

 

The chairman called for a recorded vote on the original motion.

 

For	Against	Abstentions
Councillors:	Councillors:
John Amys	Margaret Crick
Marilyn Badcock	Tony de Vere
Mike Badcock	Debby Hallett
Matthew Barber	Jeanette Halliday
Eric Batts	Jim Halliday
Yvonne Constance	Jenny Hannaby
Roger Cox	Dudley Hoddinott
Charlotte Dickson	Bob Johnston
St John Dickson	Pat Lonergan
Gervase Duffield	Ron Mansfield
Jason Fiddaman	Sue Marchant
Anthony Hayward	Julie Mayhew-Archer
Simon Howell	Elizabeth Miles
Bill Jones	Jerry Patterson
MohinderKainth	Helen Pighills
Angela Lawrence	Judy Roberts
Sandy Lovatt	Val Shaw
Aidan Melville	Andrew Skinner
Gill Morgan	Catherine Webber
Mike Murray	Richard Webber
Julia Reynolds	John Woodford
Fiona Roper
Robert Sharp
Janet Shelley
Alison Thomson
Melinda Tilley
Margaret Turner
Reg Waite
Elaine Ware
Totals: 29	21	0

 

The chairman declared the motion carried.

 

RESOLVED:to

 

1.    publish for Pre-Submission public consultation for a period of six weeks under Regulations 19 and 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012 the Pre-submission draft Local Plan 2031 Part 1: Strategic Sites and Policies, associated documents (submission Policies Map, Sustainability Appraisal, Appropriate Assessment, Infrastructure Delivery Plan, Consultation Statements) and supporting evidence base studies and topic papers subject to the removal of the following phrases from policy boxes 3 and 11 respectively, and placing the wording that indicates Botley is equivalent to a district centre in the Oxford city context within the clarification text in paragraphs 5.28 to 5.31:

 

• Botley also functions as a district centre in the context of Oxford City, and,
• equivalent to a district centre in the Oxford City context

 

and thereafter;

 

2.    to authorise the head of planning in consultation with the Cabinet member for planning policy to submit the Submission Local Plan 2031 and all associated documents together with the summarised Pre-Submission public consultation responses to the Secretary of State for independent examination under Regulation 20 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012; and

 

3.    to authorise the head of planning in consultation with the Cabinet member for planning policy, to make minor changes and corrections to the Local Plan prior to both the publication for consultation and submission.