Agenda item

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Growth, Councillor Paul Northcott introduced a report on the Borough Local Plan.  The report had been brought to update Members on the decision to leave the Joint Local Plan with Stoke-on-Trent City Council and to produce the Council’s own Borough Local Plan.

Two reports had gone through Cabinet on 9 December, 2020 and 13 January, 2021 to scope out reasons and rationale behind going it alone.  During the procedure it was evident that there were significant differences in the two Authorities, for example, the Neighbourhood Development Plans that the Borough had going were quite significant in terms of underpinning the planning process.  This was not reflected in the Joint Local Plan at the time.

Whilst working on the Joint Local Plan since 2016 there had been numerous stalling blocks and work had been progressing slowly and information was therefore becoming out of date.

The Council’s Head of Planning and Development, Shawn Fleet stated that the key word was agility.  Working with Stoke on Trent did have its merits.  Common interests were shared around housing and employment markets but there were different interests too such as HS2 and the need to integrate neighbourhood plans was important.

Over the Christmas period some survey work had been undertaken consulting with the public and contacting key consultees and neighbouring councils and also gaining independent advice.  Two hundred and sixty five responses came back and 85% were keen to see the delivery of a Borough Plan.

Timetables had been looked at to see if it could be achieved and the key target was the Government’s deadline of December, 2023 to get an adopted plan in place.

Working with Lichfield, the National Consultancy and others the Council had looked at what needed to be done.  There was an element of taking a step back from the position reached with the Joint Local Plan but it was believed that replotting and following the path of a Borough Plan, the Council could have confidence that the Government deadline would be met.

Key stages would be around issues and options. This was part of the plan that was done for the joint plan but the issues needed to be checked to see if they were still pertinent for the Borough and where the public saw opportunities to deliver development as it moved forward and the growth scenarios that were being considered.  Also, settlements in terms of rural and urban areas.  This would be looked at in the Autumn with the intention that a draft Plan would be published in September, 2022 identifying sites and looking at detailed policies for people to work around.  Over the next year, comments made on the plan would be picked up, examined and the adoption target hit.

Confidence to reach that goal was why the Council had stepped away from the work done on the joint plan and the agenda to reset to a Borough plan in its place.  Not only would it pick up on HS2 and neighbourhood plans but being a Borough plan it would also allow the picking up of emerging agendas such as carbon neutrality for the Borough and work on the Future High Streets. 

There was a resource element in that the Council was losing some of the skill sets that Stoke had but the Cabinet had committed to bringing in additional staff.

One of the concerns had been losing all of the evidence from the previous joint plan.  Fortunately a lot of the work had been structured in terms of being appropriate for both Authorities and some studies had distinct Newcastle chapters making it relatively easy to pick some of the information out. There was a substantial amount of information that could be carried across to the Borough Plan.  A lot of evidence would have to be reviewed as a result of Covid to ensure that impacts and opportunities were looked at.

Councillor Panter found it encouraging that Lichfield and a large majority of people favoured a Borough plan.

The Chair stated that he had previously had concerns about moving to a Borough Plan in terms of the time spent on a joint plan and how much of that work had been wasted both from a content and financial point of view and how much needed to be repeated, reinvigorated and reissued to update it.

Shawn Fleet stated that the evidence base was the asset of the whole process which underpinned a lot of the future decision making.  This being up to date was paramount.  As the plan progressed over the past 7 years some initial evidence was being left behind and the Council went through a process, last year, of updating the evidence with a revised end date of 2037.  By taking control, the Council would need to ensure that some of the documents were separated but it could be ensured that evidence accrued could be used effectively.

The Chair asked what the financial implications had been.

Shawn Fleet stated that there had been some implications.  Employment and housing studies, particularly, were the core backbone of some of the evidence base.  However, with Covid, the information would have needed updating.  What had been identified from the joint plan would be sufficient to take the Council through issues and strategic options that would be done in the Autumn.  In mid 2022 that would be updated and partially reviewed to ensure that it could be reflected back upon for the post covid economy, particularly for home working.  How would this affect the High Street and places of work.

The key test would come at the examination stage in 2023 when the Inspector asks for proof that the Plan is ‘sound’ and whether it reflected the market, the environment and be reflective of the Borough’s future direction.

Councillor Northcott stated that the change was made before the major spend on the final stage of the Joint Local Plan.  A lot of officer time would be dedicated to the development of the Plan.

 It was not given that the Inspector would accept the Joint Local Plan, bearing in mind the changes that were going to happen.  In that instance another Plan would have had to have been produced because evidence was not robust and that would have incurred more cost. 

A Borough Local Plan would be tailor made to Newcastle and would more closely reflect its needs.  In addition, it would be more robust in terms of challenge going forward.

The Chair asked if there were any implications in moving to this on the Neighbourhood Development Plans that were coming to fruition.  Councillor Northcott stated that those would be a snapshot of what was required at a local level.  Some adjustments may be needed in the Plans where they had appropriated growth in their area.

The Chair asked about the struggle to bring Planning Officers into the Authority and what Shawn Fleet’s view was on attracting them.  Shawn Fleet advised that adverts had been sent out a few months ago for a junior post and this had now been appointed to and the successful candidate had started working.  Further posts had been worked on and Shawn Fleet was confident that good candidates would come forward for those positions.

Councillor Northcott added that Newcastle was a good Planning Authority and commended Shawn Fleet and Jemma March’s teams for their work and commitment.

Resolved:     That the information be received and the comments noted