Agenda item

These reports will be considered by this meeting as well as the Development Control Committee (prior to this meeting) and the Council (22 March).  The reports have been sent to every Member of the Council as part of the Development Control Committee agenda for the meeting on 20 March 2006 and will only be printed once to save paper.  THEREFORE, MEMBERS ARE ASKED TO BRING THEIR COPY OF THE DEVELOPMENT CONTROL COMMITTEE AGENDA (20 MARCH MEETING) WITH THEM TO THIS MEETING. 

 (a)       Local Plan Policies

To receive and consider report 253/05 of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group and the recommendations of the Development Control Committee on potential changes to the Local Plan, and to recommend these changes to the Council. 

(b)        Local Plan Supplementary Planning Guidance

To receive and consider report 254/05 of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group and the recommendations of the Development Control Committee on potential changes to the Local Plan Supplementary Planning Guidance, and to recommend these changes to the Council.

(Time: 8.55pm to 8.57pm)

(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.)

(a)        Local Plan Policies

The Executive received and considered report 253/05 of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group together with the recommendations of the Development Control Committee.  Report 253/05 was submitted to the Advisory Group, the Development Control Committee, the Executive and the Council.  To save paper, it was printed just once and attached to the Development Control Committee's agenda (meeting dated 20 March 2006).  The report set out recommendations from the Advisory Group on the Local Plan Inquiry Inspector's recommended changes to the Local Plan.  These were set out in a series of schedules, including the Inspector's views and the Advisory Group's views also.  The Development Control Committee had considered these recommendations prior to the Executive's meeting.  The Development Control Committee largely agreed with the views of the Advisory Group and added some changes of its own.  These were agreed by the Executive for recommendation on to the Council at its meeting on 22 March 2006. 

Further to the report, the Strategic and Local Planning Authority Group met on 15 March 2006 and recommended that the Inspector’s policy for the former Dow site at Letcombe Regis 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.  The Development Control Committee accepted the Advisory Group's recommendation and the Executive agreed also.   

R E C O M M E N D E D       (by five votes to nil with one abstention)

(a)               That, subject to the further amendments set out below, the schedules 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 of the Local Plan to reflect the Council's vision agreed in November 2005;

(ii)        the Inspector's recommended paragraph 5.23 which refers to the Wantage Relief Road is ambiguous and should be changed in the proposed modifications to read "It has been a long held objective of the District Council and Wantage Town Council that Wantage should have a relief road for the traffic which causes problems throughout the town, particularly in the historic town centre." (page 19 of the Development Control Committee's agenda)

(iii)       amend the reference to the Great Western Park development at Didcot, to state that any increase in the number of dwellings built on the site will count towards the Vale's housing requirements (page 30 of the Development Control Committee's agenda)

(iv)       the proposed modification PM8.40, for the development west of Didcot, should read as set out in Appendix A to these minutes;

(v)        in the context of the Inspector's report and the letter from OxfordshireCounty Council as highway authority (dated 10 March 2006) withdrawing its objection to 100 houses, the former Dow site at Letcombe Regis be identified for no more than 100 dwellings following the demolition of the former employment structures.  The revised wording for the Council's decision in relation to the Inspector's recommendation, the changes resulting to the analysis of the number of dwellings provided through the Local Plan and the proposed lower case text and policy are set out at Appendix B;

(vi)       the term 'not more than four small dwellings to be permitted' in Policy H11 be clarified by adding the following words after the second sentence in paragraph 8.58 of the Local Plan "This is consistent with the objective of widening housing opportunities in accordance with the Housing Needs Survey which shows a shortage of one and two bedroomed dwellings in all tenure groups in the coming years (page 44 of the Development Control Committee's agenda);

(vii)      the Council's response to the Inspector's recommendation to Policy H12 should refer to the Council's position that the policy enabling one or two small houses within the built up areas of the other settlements in the Vale does not apply to very small groups of houses and ribbons of development (page 45 of the Development Control Committee's agenda);

(viii)     the proposed modification to the Proposals Map (PM Map 15) be amended by deleting the Bell Public House from the Primary Shopping Frontage in Mill Street and the Market Place in Wantage (page 125 of the Development Control Committee's agenda);

(b)               That, subject to the further amendments set out in (a) above, the changes in Appendix 3 to report 253/05 be published as the Council’s proposed modifications to the Local Plan for a period of six weeks together with the required statutory notice advertising the proposed modifications and the Council’s intention to adopt the Local Plan if no objections are received;

(c)               that authority be delegated to the Chief Executive to publish (a) and (b) above according to the statutory requirements, and to make any minor consequential and editorial changes that may be necessary.  Should any substantive inconsistencies arise, the responsibility to resolve the issues be delegated to the Deputy Director (Planning and Community Strategy), in consultation with the Chair of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group and the Development Control Committee Opposition Spokesman;

(d)               that the policies that are unchanged by the Inspector’s recommendations and the proposed modifications (Appendix 4 to report 253/05) be adopted for development control purposes from 27 March 2006 for applications received on or after 8 May 2006; and

(e)               that where no duly made objections are received to the proposed modifications to other policies within the six week consultation period, those policies be adopted for development control purposes on the Monday immediately following the closing date for comments.  If the closing date is 4 May 2006, then this should apply to applications received on or after 8 May 2006. 

(b)        Supplementary Planning Guidance

The Executive received and considered report 254/05 of the Deputy Director for Community and Spatial Planning regarding Supplementary Planning Guidance to be adopted alongside the Local Plan to 2011.  Report 254/05 was submitted to the Advisory Group, the Development Control Committee, the Executive and the Council.  To save paper, it was printed just once and attached to the Development Control Committee's agenda (meeting dated 20 March 2006).  The Executive also considered the views of the Strategic and Local Planning Advisory Group, together with the recommendations of the Development Control Committee.  Members agreed with the Committee's recommendations. 

R E C O M M E N D E D       (by five votes to nil with one abstention)

(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: