Agenda item

The report sets out the proposed Local Plan options for public consultation and the arrangements for public consultation scheduled to start in February 2024.  It also seeks changes to the Council’s Local Development Scheme (LDS) which is the Council’s programme for the preparation and review of planning policies.

Cllr Matt McCabe introduced the report, moved the officer recommendation, and made the following statement:

“Every 20 years a Local Authority gets to set a new Local Plan. This sets out the policies by which all planning decisions will be made. It also sets out where new housing will be built, what type it will be and where land will be designated for other needs, such as employment.

Today we are considering the Options Document. This primarily sets out the potential areas that could be allocated for house building, employment and renewable energy, as well as many areas of development management policy. This marks a considerable amount of effort on behalf of officers over the past year, for which I am very grateful.

It is also informed by, and will help to deliver, our Corporate Strategy and our Economic Strategy.

This huge piece of work began over a year ago, when we began talking to residents and stakeholders. It has been going through our all-party Local Development Framework Steering Group. It is worth noting that many Council Administrations do not bother to consult with other parties on the development of a new Local Plan, So, it is to the credit of all administrations here in BANES that we, as a Council, do. It is something that I am keen to maintain.

What this means is that all political groups have had the opportunity to take part in the drafting of this material, albeit on a confidential basis. So, all groups have been able to submit their initial thoughts, in advance of the public consultation.

This options document is what we are intending to put out for consultation to residents and other parties. The results of this consultation will inform the draft of our New Local Plan, and we will put that out for consultation later in the year.

There is also another timing element to consider. One of the key factors locally is the Strategic lead taken by the West of England Combined Authority, in terms of Planning for the Economy, Transport and Housing right across our region. Unfortunately, in an effort to seemingly qualify as the worst Mayor in the country, Mayor Dan Norris pulled WECA out of this regionally significant role.

This has left the four authorities rushing to complete new Local Plans, because that strategic overview is now missing. We are having to work closely with each other to try and achieve this regional co-ordination. Remember - not having a valid Local Plan in place, creates a free for all for developers. Hence the urgency. Luckily for BANES we prepared our partial update, which we completed a year ago, and it has given us a more up to date plan than our neighbouring authorities. However, this has also left us slightly behind them in preparing a new Local Plan, covering the longer term.

So, what have been our main drivers?

Well, we want to create a fairer, more prosperous and sustainable economy.

We want to maximise the delivery of housing that is more affordable.

Clearly the government asking us to build 14,500 new homes in the authority area is a huge challenge, so this work presents sites put forward by various parties, all assessed for their suitability and sustainability.

Touching on a comment that was made earlier about that 14,500 homes – luckily for us we have some 6,000 in the pipeline and we expect over this time period to get a windfall of about 2,000 homes that we weren’t expecting – that’s just normal – which means we have to find 6,500 homes over the next 20 years, which is far more achievable than if we were going straight in at 14,500.

We have to respond to both the housing crisis and the affordability challenges. Our suggested, possible sites and their uses will be available for residents to have their say.

The other big driver is the Climate and Ecological Emergencies. So, we are proposing that our enhanced requirement for Net Zero in terms of energy use in new builds, now be accompanied by a new and tougher consideration for carbon neutrality in construction materials as well. We will also be testing a Biodiversity Net Gain of 20% on new builds and seeing how close we can get.

In all these matters we are treading a fine line between our aspirations and what the final planning inspector will say is viable for developers. Evidence is key, and the results of our consultations with residents, count as evidence.

In order to facilitate a robust consultation, we are creating a ‘web book’ approach so that participants can view the part of the plan they are interested in and indicate their stance on a matter, provide additional evidence or just make general comments, but in a way that their contributions are correctly allocated to a particular item.

There will also be hard copies in our libraries, and officers have made considerable efforts to engage with often hard to reach groups to secure their participation as well.

There is one small change to the document in front of you. As some of the supporting evidence to the Local Plan won’t be published until shortly after the launch, and in order to give people a bigger say, we are going to be extending the consultation period to 8 weeks, meaning that comments can be submitted up to the 8^th of April.

So, with thanks to our Planning Policy Officers, and the members of the LDF Steering Group from all parties, I ask Cabinet to approve this document for consultation.”

Cllr Tim Ball seconded the motion and stated that the Local Plan is there to ensure that houses and businesses are provided in the right locations.  He noted that it is important not to have political interference in this process and that cross-party support is needed.  It is also important to fully consult local residents.

Cllr Sarah Warren stated that the Local Plan is an absolutely key document in ensuring that a planning authority can require sustainable, green construction and development, in sustainable locations. The options document informed by our economic strategy, and a rare opportunity that only comes along once a decade or so to set the parameters of the place that we live in for a generation. After ratifying a Local Plan Update only last January that put Bath & North East Somerset on the map with the leading net zero new build policy in England at the time, as well as ground breaking biodiversity requirements, it’s exciting to have an opportunity now to take that ambition still further.

She noted that the Green Transformation Team has been working closely with their Planning Policy colleagues to develop a policy framework that will drive forward our Climate and Ecological Emergency declaration and support development enabling Bath and North East Somerset to become carbon neutral, nature positive.

She welcomed the proposal to increase the requirement for biodiversity net gain from 10% to 20% and was particularly please with the proposed requirements around renewables.  She noted that the Council continues to lead the Local Nature Recovery Strategy for the West of England and Natural England have been so impressed with our leadership on green infrastructure projects including Bathscape, Waterspace, Somer Valley Rediscovered and Chew Valley Reconnected, that they have chosen to undertake further work with us.

Cllr Paul May noted the importance of working with all political parties and stressed the importance of making access to the report as easy and clear as possible.

Cllr Kevin Guy encouraged everyone to take participate in the consultation.

RESOLVED (unanimously):

(1)  To agree the spatial priorities of the Local Plan as set out in Appendix 1 of the report for public engagement, particularly to support a fairer, more prosperous and sustainable economy and provide for more housing that is affordable.

(2)  To agree the policy and development location options set out in Appendix 1 of the report (Local Plan Options Consultation Document) as the basis for public engagement.

(3)  To agree the revisions to the B&NES Local Development Scheme outlined in paragraph 3.3 of the report.

(4)  To agree and authorise the Director for Sustainable Communities to carry out the approach to public engagement in Section 10 of the report.

(5)  To delegate authority to the Director for Sustainable Communities, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Built Environment and Sustainable Development, to agree textual changes in finalising the Local Plan Options consultation document and the revised Local Development Scheme.