Agenda and draft minutes
Venue: Scaitcliffe House, Ormerod Street, Accrington. View directions
Contact: Susan Gardner
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Apologies for Absence and Substitutions Minutes: There were no apologies submitted at the meeting and no substitutions. Councillor Clare McKenna was absent from the meeting. |
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Declarations of Interest and Dispensations Minutes: No interests or dispensations were declared at the meeting. |
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Minutes of the last Meeting To submit the minutes of the Special Overview & Scrutiny Committee held on 22nd July 2024 for approval as a correct record.
Recommended - That the Minutes be received and approved as a correct record.
Minutes: The Minutes of the last meeting held on 22nd July 2024 were submitted for approval as a correct record.
Resolved - That the Minutes be received and approved as a correct record.
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Chair's Update To receive a verbal update from the Chair regarding previous recommendations made by the Special Overview & Scrutiny Committee and items relating to the work programme. Minutes: The Chair, Councillor Bernard Dawson, updated the Committee on the following items:
- The Committee was informed that Council had approved the appointment of the two new Co-optees, Shahed Mahmood and Andy Tatchell, at the meeting held on 26th September 2024, to cover two Municipal Years 2024-25 & 2025-26. Both new Co-optees were welcomed to the meeting.
- Three items allocated to the agenda had been deferred to future meetings: Town Centre Levelling Up Progres Leisure Transformation Update Huncoat Garden Village |
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Local Plan Monitoring Committee are requested to consider the update provided in the report on the key matters relating to the emerging Local Plan:
a) Update on the preparation of the emerging Local Plan up to now; b) Update on proposed changes to national planning policy; c) Update on next steps, including submission of the Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate for Examination, and; d) Update on consequences of not submitting the Local Plan (Sections 5 and 7).
Recommended (1) That the Committee note the report; and (2) That Committee give consideration to the observations made at Sections 5 and 7 of the report and Officer recommendation that Members support Huncoat Garden Village, the associated Link Road and the continued development and submission of the emerging Local Plan. Minutes: The Chief Planning and Transportation Officer submitted a report to update Committee on key matters relating to the emerging Local Plan, including an:
a) Update on the preparation of the emerging Local Plan up to now; b) Update on proposed changes to national planning policy; c) Update on next steps, including submission of the Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate for Examination, and; d) Update on consequences of not submitting the Local Plan (Sections 5 and 7).
The Chief Planning and Transportation Officer referred to the progress reached in forming the emerging Local Plan and gave details of the process undertaken and the next steps. He also informed the meeting that work was nearing completion on the submission version and pointed out that this was at a critical stage.
The Chief Planning and Transportation Officer also referred to the potential implications of the proposed changes to Government Policy (national plan policy framework), which had recently been submitted to Cabinet for consultation, on the Local Plan should it not be adopted. He explained that the proposed new Government Policy had changed the methodology of calculating the number of properties each authority would need to build. However, Local Authorities who were at an advanced stage of their plan-making process, would not be expected to apply the new standard method to identify housing requirement. Should a housing requirement not be adopted, the new standard method figure of 313 dwellings per year would be the default requirement. The importance of the proposed Huncoat Garden Village development was, therefore, referred to in this respect and Committee was advised that should the development not go ahead the Local Plan would need to be removed and a new Local Plan devised which would increase the number of dwellings per year from 194 to 313. Over a period of 15 years the increase in number would be significant.
The Chief Planning and Transportation Officer thanked the Planning Policy Manager for her work in progressing the proposed Local Plan.
Members submitted the following questions in advance of the meeting:
- A request to provide details of the challenges of progressing the Local Plan. - What the penalties for not reaching the allocated housing targets were. - A request to detail each key document of the Local Plan. - What methods of communications were established in respect of consulting the public on the various documents.
Responses were made as follows:
- Reference was made to the resources committed to producing the emerging plan and it was explained that if the Council was committed to supporting the Plan, it would be taken to the Inspectorate. Devising a new plan would require additional resources, finances and political support to take forward.
- The Chief Planning and Transportation Officer referred to the housing figures set out in the policy and to the housing delivery test and how it could be used to ensure housing numbers were delivered. He also explained that they had raised the issue of delivering such a high number of ... view the full minutes text for item 195. |
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Appointment of Co-optees Committee are requested to note Council approval of two Co-optee positions on the Special Overview & Scrutiny Committee.
Recommended - That the report be noted.
Minutes: The Scrutiny and Policy Officer submitted a report to inform Members of the two Co-optee appointments formally made by Council to the Special Overview and Scrutiny Committee at their meeting held on 26th September 2024. The Co-optees appointed were Shahed Mahmood and Andy Tatchell.
Resolved - That the report be noted.
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