Agenda item

Alvechurch Parish Neighbourhood Plan

Minutes:

The Strategic Planning and Conservation Manager presented the Alvechurch Parish Neighbourhood Plan for Members’ consideration and in so doing highlighted the following:

· This was the first neighbourhood plan produced by a Parish in the district that had reached this stage.

· Neighbourhood plans are prepared by Parish Councils or neighbourhood planning groups. District Council Officers provided Parishes with technical advice on these plans.

· The plan had been through various stages of consultation and had been well received.

· The team in Alvechurch had worked hard on this plan in their own time.

· The next stage would involve Bromsgrove District Council taking the plan forward for examination, subject to a period of six weeks in which people could make representations. Any feedback received through these representations would be reported to the examiner.

· Should the examiner approve the plan, including potentially in a modified form, the plan would then be the subject of a referendum.

· The Council would receive £20,000 to cover the costs involved in co-ordinating the referendum.

Following the presentation of the report Members discussed a number of matters in detail:

· The process for developing a neighbourhood plan, which could be time consuming and hard work.

· The period covered by the plan, from 2011 to 2030. Members were advised that the decision had been taken to apply the plan from 2011 as this was the period which Bromsgrove District Council’s local plan covered.

· The potential for the plan to be aligned with the new Bromsgrove District Plan. Members were advised that this would not be possible as the district plan was in the early stages of development, however, the neighbourhood plan could be amended at a later date once the district plan had been approved.

· The links between the neighbourhood plan and the district plan. Members were informed that no elements conflicted with the district plan.

· The potential for other Parish Councils to work on producing a neighbourhood plans. Members were informed that it might be advisable to wait until the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) had been confirmed.

· The role of the NPPF, which would help to clarify the approach to the how numbers of houses should be allocated to the neighbourhood planning process.

· The methods that could be used to calculate the potential number of houses that could be developed in each parish until the new NPPF had been finalised.

· The financial costs to the Council involved in providing technical support to a Parish Council when developing a neighbourhood plan. Members were advised that the Government had provided the Council with £5,000 to help fund this support, though it was uncertain whether this had covered the full costs.

· The potential need for further resources in the planning department should more Parish Councils start to develop and submit neighbourhood plans. Members agreed that Cabinet needed to consider this matter further.

RESOLVED that

(1) Cabinet approves the District Council response to the APNP submission version;

(2) Cabinet approves a six week statutory representation period on the APNP;

(3) Cabinet gives delegated authority to the Head of Planning and Regeneration to appoint an independent examiner to undertake examination of the APNP following the consultation period; and

(4) Cabinet gives delegated authority to the Head of Planning and Regeneration to proceed to a referendum on the APNP, subject to receipt of a favourable report from the independent examiner in assessing whether the APNP meets the ‘Basic Conditions’</AI5>

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