Agenda item

Councillor Turner presented a report to Cabinet seeking a recommendation to Council to approve the Pre-Submission Havant Borough Local Plan 2036.  In commending the document to Cabinet she believed the draft plan to be robust, well informed and reflected the Council’s Regeneration Strategy.

 

Cabinet received the following deputations:

 

·         Ms Law (SW Hayling Group)

 

Ms Law raised concerns regarding the mitigation measures for wildlife and infrastructure proposed on Hayling Island. She also highlighted that the Hayling Island Transport Assessment was incomplete and not supported by Hampshire County Council.  She requested that the sites at Rook Farm and Sinah Lane be removed from the allocations as she did not believe that the rate of mitigation could keep pace with development.

 

·         Mr Hunnibal (Save Long Copse Lane)

 

Mr Hunnibal asked that site H8, Land at Long Copse Lane be removed from the plan.  The site was not suitable for development, being a greenfield site situated in a sparsely populated rural lane without any nearby infrastructure and less than 1/3 mile from the South Downs National Park.   

 

·         Havant Borough Councillor Clare Satchwell

 

Cllr Satchwell explained that Hayling Island was in effect a large cul-de-sac and a lot of traffic data models could not be applied.  The transport study had not been completed and she requested that version 2 of the study be published, prior to the submission of the draft local plan.

 

Cabinet discussed the pre-submission plan and was advised that under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) the housing target was a minimum and that any sustainable site should be identified within a local plan.  Officers had sought to maximise the use of brownfield sites, however the targets could not be met without allocating greenfield sites. 

 

With regard to Long Copse Lane, the Sustainability Assessment had objectively balanced all considerations and officers believed that it should be allocated, although some landscape impact was acknowledged.  The removal of this site or Sinah Lane would result in the council not having a five-year land supply. 

 

In respect of the deed of variation in respect of land covered by KP5 ‘Southleigh’, the Leader proposed an amendment to recommendation (i) to add the words ‘subject to Cabinet approval on the final wording of such variation’. 

                                                    

This amendment was duly seconded by Cllr Pike and unanimously agreed by Cabinet. 

 

In respect of the deputation made by Cllr Satchwell, the Leader proposed an amendment that the following additional recommendation be added as recommendation (n):

 

“Delegates authority to the Planning Policy Manager, in consultation with the Cabinet Lead for Communities, Development and Housing, to publish version two of the Hayling Island and Mainland Transport Assessments, in order to clarify the mitigation packages needed to accommodate development, prior to the submission of the Havant Borough Local Plan 2036 to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.”

 

This amendment was duly seconded by Cllr Pike and unanimously agreed by Cabinet.

 

In response to a question from Cllr Turner, the Planning Policy Manager confirmed that the removal of Rooks Farm from the plan would not impact on the Councils five-year land supply.

 

The Leader left the room as per his previous declaration of interest.

 

Cllr Turner proposed the following amendment to the recommendation:

 

Recommendation (a) be amended to “Approves the publication of the Pre-submission Havant Borough Local Plan 2036 (appendix 1), omitting the Rook Farm site”

 

And an additional recommendation (o)

 

“Delegates authority to the Planning Policy Manager, in consultation with the Cabinet Lead for Communities, Development and Housing, to make any resulting amendments following the Cabinet and Council meetings to the Pre-Submission Havant Borough Local Plan 2036 (appendix 1) and the Policies Map”.

 

This amendment was duly seconded by Cllr Bowerman.

 

Following a vote the amendment was declared LOST, two councillors voting for the amendment and three councillors voting against.

 

The Leader returned to the room.

 

Cabinet believed that whilst it contained controversial sites, the draft local plan was sound and that it would be premature to remove any sites at this stage.   .

 

The Leader proposed the following motion:

 

Cabinet recommends to Full Council that it:

 

a) Approves the publication of the Pre-Submission Havant Borough Local Plan 2036 (Appendix 1);

 

b) Approves the consultation on the Pre-Submission Havant Borough Local Plan 2036 from 4th February 2019 to 18th March 2019;

 

c) Approves the revocation of the Local Plan Housing Statement;

 

d) Notes the Borough’s five year housing land supply position as of January 2019 (available at http://www.havant.gov.uk/localplan/evidence-base);

 

e) Notes that on publication, the Pre-Submission Havant Borough Local Plan 2036 would have planning weight and is a material consideration in decision making;

 

f) Notes the publication of the proposed submission documents (the Sustainability Appraisal, the Policies Map, the Consultation Statement, evidence base);

 

g) Approves the Local Development Scheme (January 2019) for publication (Appendix 2);

 

h) Delegates authority to the Planning Policy Manager to prepare a report, which forms one of the required documents to submit to the Secretary of State, noting the number of representations made through the Pre-Submission consultation (recommendation b) and a summary of the main issues raised;

 

i) Agrees in principle to enter a deed of variation of the legal agreement between the Council and the landowners of land covered by KP5 ‘Southleigh’, subject to Cabinet approval on the final wording of such variation;

 

j) Approves the submission of the Havant Borough Local Plan 2036 and the necessary supporting documents to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government following the consultation (recommendation b);

 

k) Makes representations through the Council Leader and the Cabinet Lead for Communities, Development and Housing to local MPs, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Homes England, Hampshire County Council and the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership regarding the urgent need for infrastructure delivery alongside new development;

 

l) Delegates authority to the Director of Regeneration and Place to prepare and submit bids to available funding streams regarding infrastructure provision and other measures intended to support the delivery of the Havant Borough Local Plan 2036;

 

m) Delegates authority to the Planning Policy Manager, in consultation with the Cabinet Lead for Communities, Development and Housing, to make any necessary amendments to the documents listed above. These shall be limited to the inclusion of a contents page and page numbers, factual updates, correction of minor errors, typographical errors and other minor changes that do change the meaning of the material; and

 

n) Delegates authority to the Planning Policy Manager, in consultation with the Cabinet Lead for Communities, Development and Housing, to publish version two of the Hayling Island and Mainland Transport Assessments, in order to clarify the mitigation packages needed to accommodate development, prior to the submission of the Havant Borough Local Plan 2036 to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

 

The recommendation was duly seconded by Cllr Bowerman and unanimously agreed by Cabinet.