Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

1.1 Preparation of the "Core Strategy" - a key document defining the Council's latest Planning framework - begins in October. This will entail a review and eventual replacement of the District's existing planning policies and development proposals. The Core Strategy and associated documents will implement both Regional Spatial Strategy requirements and local objectives, including those of the Sustainable Community Strategy, the Council and other Service providers. When adopted, it will replace the existing Local Plan.

1.2 The first stage is a period of Community engagement from October to December 2007 preceded by the publication of a launch document in September. At this stage the Council is not putting forward firm policies or proposals but is seeking to ensure wide public engagement and identification of the key challenges facing the District.

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 agree publication of the Launch Document for Public Engagement from October to December 2007; and

2.2 note the proposals for public consultation from October to December 2007

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3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 Preparation of the Core Strategy is a statutory requirement and will include a public examination. The Core Strategy has a three year preparation programme for which the first year's budget was agreed by Council in March 2007. The Core Strategy is being developed within the resources provided as part of service and financial planning. Elsewhere on this agenda, the report on Service and Financial Planning sets out the likely tighter financial context for the Council under the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR07). Increased expenditure on the Local Development Framework will need to be considered in this context.

3.2 The District must make provision for unprecedented levels of growth through the Local Development Framework (LDF) and the Core Strategy will be the key Policy document. Whilst posing significant challenges, this brings exciting opportunities for the capture of funding through planning obligations for provision of and/or improvements to social and other infrastructure across the District.

4 COMMUNITY STRATEGY OUTCOMES

5 CORPORATE IMPROVEMENT PRIORITIES

6 CPA KEY LINES OF ENQUIRY

o Sustainable Communities and Transport

o Safer and Stronger Communities

o Healthier Communities

7 THE REPORT

7.1 The Core Strategy will provide the overarching spatial planning document for Bath & North East Somerset as part of a portfolio of documents that comprise the Local Development Framework (LDF). Annex 3 explains the role and purpose of the Core Strategy in more detail, together with an outline of the process and procedural requirements.

7.2 Preparation of the Core Strategy entails a review of the existing development plan and formulation of a new set of spatial planning policies covering the period up to 2026. The Council in partnership with the public and key stakeholders now has an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our District. The Core Strategy is the lynchpin of the LDF and establishes the high-level land-use policy framework in the context of policies and proposals in the Regional Spatial Strategy together with national spatial planning policies in a way that also addresses local issues. It will be followed by more detailed, site specific development plan documents to guide the nature and location of new development and ensure continued protection of the environment.

7.3 This new set of policies, and the strategy behind them, will be tested at a public examination, the outcome of which will be binding on the Council. Therefore whilst the Council will prepare a draft Core Strategy, it no longer has the final say on the policy framework. The significance of this is that the planning system is a Plan led system in which planning applications must be determined in accordance with the Core Strategy. Therefore it is crucial to ensure that a robust, sound and evidenced Core Strategy is submitted for examination to secure the Council's position. Likewise, public engagement with policy development must take place early in the process because the opportunities for debate narrow as the process moves through its statutory stages.

7.4 The preparation process takes around three years and the stages are illustrated in Diagram 1. Whilst a considerable amount of preparatory and research work has been undertaken, the process begins publicly with the launch document in September. When adopted, it will replace the existing Local Plan. Nearing adoption itself, the Local Plan has provided the basis for guiding development and protection of the environment since 2002 and will continue to fulfil this function until substantially replaced in around 2010.

The Launch Document

7.5 A draft of the Launch Document is attached as Annex 1 to this report. The primary purpose of the Launch Document is to facilitate community engagement and raise public awareness that preparation of the Core Strategy is now underway. Whilst the launch Document outlines a range of key spatial issues facing Bath & North East Somerset, it is not intended to be comprehensive nor definitive and its main purpose is to stimulate debate. To this end and drawing upon previous consultations and other work, the Launch Document describes the key issues facing the District and its constituent parts. This approach lends focus and direction to what may otherwise appear to be a rather dry paper. If consultees feel that the identified key issues are inaccurate or incomplete nothing is lost - the purpose of stimulating debate will be achieved.

7.6 It is not the purpose of the Launch to suggest firm policy options at this stage. The results of the consultations in the Autumn along with the consultations on the Future / Visions for Bath & North East Somerset and the strategic aspirations for the District will feed into a set of preferred options to provide the basis for consultation in the middle of 2008.

7.7 Critically, the launch document recognises the diversity of the District and outlines the different challenges and opportunities facing different areas. In order to engender an approach rooted in local issues it is therefore structured around the constituent parts of the District. This approach will provide the basis for public engagement (see para 7.8 below).

7.8 The Core Strategy consultation will take place from October to December 2007 and it is scheduled to be formally launched at the meeting of the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) in late September. The principles of the programme for community engagement are set out in Annex 2. The basis of the community engagement is to ensure everyone who lives, works or has an interest in the District has the opportunity to engage in the process.

7.9 Alongside publication of the Launch Document, a wide range of publicity and consultation tools will be employed including: press releases, a webpage, e-consultation, an item in Council News (circulated to every household in the District), and in "Inform" our electronic publication, local advertisement of consultation (i.e. posters, community newsletters, use of local distribution lists & attendance of local meetings and joint consultation events), seminars, liaison with Town & Parish Councils (including the use of Parish Liaison and Parish Cluster meetings), involvement of the Local Strategic Partnership, consultation of adjoining local authorities and other statutory consultees. A questionnaire will be distributed alongside the launch document to capture views about the issues facing the District.

7.10 In line with Bath & North East Somerset's Statement of Community Involvement, particular groups whom we believe require extra effort will be targeted i.e. children and young people, disabled people, small businesses, people living in rural areas, gypsies and travellers and residents.

Alignment with other initiatives

7.11 Development of the Core Strategy comes at a pivotal stage in policy review and policy development for the District.

Community Strategy

7.12 The Core Strategy addresses the spatial implications of key challenges and drivers facing the District. Bath and North East Somerset's Community Strategy, prepared by the LSP, provides the context within which options can be developed. The Community Strategy focuses on improving the local economy, transport, housing, health, learning and the environment.

7.13 The Community Strategy also focuses on a number of cross-cutting ambitions, such as promoting local distinctiveness, inclusion and sustainability. It is important that these ambitions are kept up-to-date and fully reflect priorities for Bath and North East Somerset, addressing the long-run needs and challenges for the area. To achieve this, a recent review of housing, economic, environmental and social issues was recently undertaken. This has led to preliminary work on a "Bath and North East Somerset Story". This "story" is designed to roll-forward the Community Strategy and to create a "joined-up picture" of our area and the challenges which it faces. These include:

7.14 This 93Bath and North East Somerset story94 will inform work within the Local Strategic Partnership (LSP) on developing the Sustainable Community Strategy and refreshing the Local Area Agreement. These plans will then in turn form the basis for the corporate planning processes of LSP member organisations, including the Council's Corporate Plan and the Core Strategy.

Future / Visions for Bath and North East Somerset

7.15 Allied to this, the emerging 93Future / Visions for Bath and North East Somerset94 have also reached an advanced stage. The Vision work is linked to the Economy and Enterprise block of the Local Area Agreement and provides a basis for a regeneration framework. The Vision work will both contribute to implementation of existing Local Plan development initiatives over the next three years pending adoption of the Core Strategy and provide a key input to the LDF, including the Core Strategy. Consultation on the Visions has been timed to coincide with the launch of the Core Strategy in order to enable a joined up approach. Of those objectives and proposals in the Visions which are reliant on the planning system, some can be implemented immediately under the existing Local Plan policies. Longer term objectives will need to be considered through the Core Strategy process and associated documents. (See section 8 below).

7.16 Having regard to the high level strategic objectives that the B&NES 93Story94 will tackle together with the other projects touched on, it is clear that there is a range of initiatives simultaneously beginning to move forward across the Council. For instance, the Strategic Health Authority is likely to start consultation on the Strategic Framework for Improving Health in the South West 2007 to 2010 which will inform the integrated Strategic Plan for Health & Wellbeing (Social Care, Health & Housing) for Bath & North East Somerset. It is important that the opportunity is seized to take a co-ordinated approach to these projects, so that the Council can set out its aspirations, objectives and delivery proposals in a coherent, 93joined up94 way. Moreover, 93consultation fatigue94 is a genuine concern - the public simply becomes tired of constantly being asked to engage in proposals that seem more or less to repeat what other consultations recently have asked. With this in mind co-ordination of the community engagement programmes for these initiatives is being undertaken.

8 RISK MANAGEMENT

8.1 A risk assessment related to the issue and recommendations has been undertaken, in compliance with the Council's decision making risk management guidance.

8.2 With regard to the tests of soundness against which the plan ultimately will be examined, it is essential that at this stage of the Core Strategy process, a genuinely open debate is had with the public on how it sees the future of the District developing in spatial terms. Any attempt to force or influence the consultation process down a particular preferred path may result in the plan being found unsound and being rejected at considerable expense to the Council in both financial and reputational terms.

8.3 For this reason consultation on the "Future for Bath and North East Somerset", also in September, needs to be handled with particular care. Both projects will be seen by the public as dealing largely with the same topic and coming from one source - the Council as a corporate body. There is therefore potential scope for confusion. The Core Strategy process will need to take account of the proposals set out in the Vision work, but this does not preclude the consideration of alternative options.

8.4 To ensure clarity and to safeguard the integrity of the Core Strategy process, the relationship of the Core Strategy with the Vision work will be made explicit as part of the concurrent consultation exercises. The existing Local Plan provides the delivery vehicle for many of the Vision proposals but other elements are dependent on the Core Strategy and other LDF documents. It is therefore essential to take full account of the procedural requirements of the statutory planning process to ensure that avoidable risks to the development plan process are not overlooked and consequently the implementation of the Visions is not undermined.

9 CONSULTATION

9.1 Cabinet Councillor; Parish Council; Town Council; Other Bath & North East Somerset Services; Service Users; Local Residents; Community Interest Groups; Youth Council; Stakeholders/Partners; Other Public Sector Bodies; Section 151 Finance Officer; Chief Executive; Monitoring Officer

9.2 The launch document will commence the public engagement programme as described in paras 4.8 to 4.10 above.

10 ISSUES TO CONSIDER IN REACHING THE DECISION

10.1 Social Inclusion; Customer Focus; Sustainability; Human Resources; Property; Young People; Equality (age, race, disability, religion/belief, gender, sexual orientation); Human Rights; Corporate; Health & Safety; Impact on Staff; Other Legal Considerations

11 ADVICE SOUGHT

11.1 The Council's Monitoring Officer (Council Solicitor) and Section 151 Officer (Strategic Director - Support Services) have had the opportunity to input to this report and have cleared it for publication.