Agenda item

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Strategic Housing presented the Bromsgrove District Local Plan – Notice of Intention to Commence Local Plan Preparation, Local Plan Timetable and Scoping Consultation report.

Members were advised that the aim of the plan was to streamline and speed up the Local Plan setting process.  The first stage of the process would be to publish notification to commence Local Plan preparation, in line with legislative requirements.  The Council had secured Government funding which was linked to meeting deadlines for the Local Plan process.

Subject to Members’ approval at the meeting, the intention was to publish the notice on 29^th June 2026.  A scoping consultation would commence thereafter, in summer 2026, which would follow a further report to the Council meeting due to take place in July.  This report would not include a spatial strategy, policy or site options.  Members were asked to note that people would not need to resubmit comments that had been made in response to the Council’s previous consultation on this subject.

At a later date, the draft Local Plan would take on board the draft infrastructure plan and comments received through consultation.  The draft Local Plan would be considered by the Planning Inspectorate.  It was anticipated that the final Local Plan would be implemented from spring 2028 onwards. 

The Planning Policy team would continue to work on the Local Plan process moving forward.  Three further employees were due to be recruited to assist with this work.

Following the presentation of the report, Members discussed a range of points in detail:

·             The number of speculative planning applications that had been submitted to the Council in recent months by developers and the need for action to be taken on the Local Plan process to address this situation.

·             The greater control available to local authorities to manage the planning process when a Local Plan was in place.

·             The need for the Council to work on the Local Plan and to respond to national changes to planning policies.

·             The responses that had been received from the public during the previous consultation exercise and the implications for the content of the Local Plan.

·             The potential for data relating to consultation feedback to be provided at a ward level and for this to be made available to the public.  Officers explained that some data could be shared at a ward level, however, Members were asked to note that some respondents did not share an address so this would not be possible for all responses.

·             The lack of a 5-year land supply in the District.  It was noted that the Council had been working on this.

·             The number of new houses that the Council was required by the Government to approve for development each year and the fact that this number had increased when the local authority had attempted to challenge the Government on this figure.

·             The speed with which decisions had historically been taken on the Local Plan process and the extent to which this had impacted on the current position at the Council.

·             The fact that Councils that had already adopted a Local Plan were similarly having to review their policies in light of changing Government requirements.  Council was informed that these authorities were having to amend their policies more quickly than the process that applied to the development of the new Bromsgrove Local Plan.

·             The training that had been attended by Members in respect of the Local Plan process.

·             The green belt land in Bromsgrove District and the impact of the concept of the Grey Belt on housing development moving forward.

·             The reason why the proposed date to publish the notice of intent on 29^th June and a subsequent report would then be presented in July rather than at the Annual Council meeting.  Officers clarified that scoping documents needed to be considered and approved at a meeting of Council.  If the notice was published earlier, then the Council would need to convene at an earlier date to consider the matter.

·             The work that had been undertaken by the Local Plan Cross Party Working Group to consider the timetable and Local Plan process.

·             The anticipated date by which the complete summary and timetable would be issued for the Local Plan.

·             The likely content of the summary of the responses received during the consultation.

·             The process that would be used to report back to people who submitted comments in a non-electronic manner during the consultation period.

·             The reason for the delay in providing a summary of the feedback that had been received during the Council’s consultation process. Members noted that the consultation had closed seven months prior to the Annual Council meeting.  Council was advised that the next phase in consultation on the sites for inclusion in the Local Plan would occur in 2027 and information would be published at that point.

·             The reason why the Council had not triggered the notice of intention on the earliest date permitted by the Government on 26th March 2026.  Officers explained that 26^th March 2026 was the date when the legislation came out.  The suggestion was made that it would have been too risky for the Council to act on the legislation on that date, as prior to then, there was uncertainty about the Government’s requirements and there would not have been time to prepare.

·             The role of the Local Plan Cross Party Working Group in considering many matters relating to the Local Plan process.

·             The hard work of the Council’s Planning Department on the Local Plan.

The recommendations were proposed by Councillor S. Baxter and seconded by Councillor K. May.

RESOLVED that

1)          The Notice of Intention to Commence Local Plan Preparation be approved; and

2)          The Local Plan timetable be approved.

(At the start of the debate in respect of this item, Members voted to suspend standing orders for the item to enable the Strategic Planning and Conservation Manager to speak and answer Members’ questions.

At the end of this item there was a brief adjournment which lasted from 19.55 – 20.06.)