Agenda and minutes

Information on public speaking is available online

The following question was read out by the Chair on behalf of Nigel Dutt, a member of the public:

Officers have completed an epic task in summarising the feedback received in response to the local plan consultation, but a very significant omission is any sort of quantification of the nature of the responses. This was very usefully done in the previous report on the Issues and Options consultation, where a lot of graphs and pie-charts were included to show how responses were distributed. This is a big part of the value of Commonplace, who make a lot of noise about these features, which are extensively used by almost all of their clients in their own reports.

EDDC made extensive use of requesting feedback ratings in the Commonplace-based consultation, so it does seem like a major omission not to have made any use of them, especially after expensively switching to Commonplace from the system previously used for the Issues and Options consultation. Instead, this report just summarises selected comments without indicating the overall balance of opinion, which would add a lot of value if done, and ought to help the Strategic Planning Committee in their further deliberations. It should also be possible to ascribe sentiment ratings to the non-Commonplace responses, so that shouldn't be used as a reason not to do it.

The question is whether there is any plan to provide quantitative analysis of the responses, especially given that this is so easily obtained from Commonplace?

In response the Assistant Director - Planning Strategy and Development Management accepted this was a fair challenge as the data obtained had either come from Commonplace or via emails and written comments.  Although the report did provide the overall comments it did not, as pointed out, provide the sentiment scores. To address this the Assistant Director – Planning Strategy and Development Management advised that if Members were in agreement this could be provided in the final version of the document at the September meeting by an appendix with graphical illustrations detailing the sentiment scores and the additional data received.  He explained that this appendix would only relate to comments made through the commonplace system as it would not be appropriate for officers to seek to interpret comments received through other means and attribute a sentiment score to them.  The Chair and Councillor Ingham agreed it was important to have this information.

The following statement was read out by the Chair on behalf of Councillor Alasdair Bruce, Ward Member for Feniton:

Many of you are new to this committee so for your benefit and the patience of those who are not, I will outline the main points of objection to any further major development in Feniton below.

Let’s start with the planning department’s designation of Feniton as a service village. This is an error and it should be classified as an unsustainable village.

The reasons are:

Topping the list must be the judgment from the 2014 super inquiry where the planning inspector ruled  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

The minutes of the Strategic Planning Committee held on 9 June 2023 were confirmed as a true record.

Guidance is available online to Councillors and co-opted members on making declarations of interest

There were no declarations of interest.

Information on matters of urgency is available online

There were no matters of urgency.

To agree any items to be dealt with after the public (including the Press) have been excluded. Thereare no itemswhich officersrecommendshould be dealtwithin thisway.

There were no confidential/exempt items.

This report seeks to set the scene for the appended full feedback report on the draft local plan consultation.

The draft local plan feedback report includes:

·        Summary, contents & introduction (agenda pages 17-46)

·        Chapter 1 – Introduction, evidence & policies (agenda pages 47-49)

·        Chapter 2 – Vision & objectives (agenda pages 49-53)

·        Chapter 3 -  Spatial Strategy (agenda pages 54-103)

·        Chapter 4 – Employment provision & Distribution Strategy (agenda pages 103

·        Chapter 5 – Policy omissions from – future growth & development on the western side of East Devon  (agenda pages 104-134)

·        Chapter 6 (Part A) – Strategy for development at principal centres and main centre (agenda pages 135-229)

·        Chapter 6 (Part B) – Strategy for development at local centres (agenda pages 230-265)

·        Chapter 6 (Part C) – Strategy for development at service villages & other sites (agenda pages 266-343)

·        Chapter 7 – Tackling climate change & responding to climate change (agenda pages 344-376)

·        Chapter 7 – Policy omissions from – Tackling climate emergency & responding to climate change (agenda page 376)

·        Chapter 8 – Meeting housing needs for all (agenda pages 377-411)

·        Chapter 8 – Policy omissions from – Meeting housing needs for all (agenda page 411)

·        Chapter 9 – Supporting jobs & economy & vibrant town centres (agenda pages 412-423)

·        Chapter 10 – Designing beautiful & healthy spaces & buildings (agenda pages 424-431)

·        Chapter 11 – Prioritising sustainable travel and providing the transport & communications facilities we need (agenda pages 432-444)

·        Chapter 11 – Policy omissions from - Prioritising sustainable travel and providing the transport & communications facilities we need (agenda page 445)

·        Chapter 12 – Caring for our outstanding landscape (agenda page 446–459)

·        Chapter 12 – Policy omissions from – Caring for our outstanding landscape (agenda page 459)

·        Chapter 13 – Protecting and enhancing our outstanding biodiversity and geodiversity (agenda pages 460–475)

·        Chapter 13 – Policy omissions from - Protecting and enhancing our outstanding biodiversity and geodiversity (agenda page 476)

·        Chapter 14 – Open space and sports and recreation facilities (agenda pages 477–482)

·       Chapter 14 – Policy omissions from - Open space and sports and recreation facilities (agenda page 482–483)

·       Chapter 15 - Our outstanding historic environment (agenda pages 483–489)

·       Chapter 15 – Policy omissions from - Our outstanding historic environment (agenda page 489)

·       Chapter 16 – Ensuring we have community buildings and facilities (agenda pages 490-491)

·       Chapter 16 – Policy omissions from  - Ensuring we have community buildings and facilities (agenda page 491)

·       Chapter 17 –Implementation and monitoring of the local plan (agenda pages 492–493)

·       Chapter 18 – Have we missed anything? (agenda pages 494-495)

·       Issues raised that are not necessarily directly relevant to the local plan (agenda pages 496–498)

·       Responses to the Sustainability Appraisal (agenda pages 498-504)

·       Conclusions and next steps (agenda page 505)

·       Appendices:

Ø  Appendix 1 – Feedback on comments on the Commonplace platform (agenda pages 506– 508)

Ø  Appendix 2 – Feedback from in-person submissions at the consultation events (agenda pages 509–539)

The Committee considered the draft East Devon Local Plan (2020-2040) Consultation Feedback report presented by the Assistant Director – Planning Strategy and Development Management noting that the final report would be brought to committee at a later date which would incorporate the comments raised by Mr Dutt about the Commonplace data and would also include any further work required as a result of today’s meeting.

Members’ attention was drawn to paragraph 5.3 in the second recommendation and Members views were sought on the two options. 

The two options were:

Option 1

Respond to each point and alongside that produce a recommended next iteration of the plan for Members to review to give a comprehensive overview of all proposed changes at once but would take months of work for officers and then leave the committee with the entire plan to be reviewed all at once.

Option 2

Work through the comments and the plan in sections, chapters or topic areas so that the work can be brought to committee in parts over a number of meetings.  This option was officers preferred option as it would make the workload more manageable but could have consequential changes from one section that impacts on another.

Members’ views were also sought on a previous resolution detailed in paragraphs 5.4 and 5.5 for officers to continue with the background technical work concerning water, sewerage and other environmental matters but that no further discussions or decisions would be made with regard to the sites or their allocation until the Government had delivered the finalised NPPF.

The Assistant Director – Planning Strategy and Development Management updated Members on the Government’s progress on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) advising that Michael Gove MP was quoted as saying that the NPPF amendments were now likely to come forward in September (at the earliest).  Members noted that there could potentially be a further hold up on this publication as the Government’s Levelling up Housing Community Select Committee had recently proposed various recommendations that the Government should take on board before publishing. 

The Assistant Director – Planning Strategy and Development Management invited Members to read this published report which can be found online as it was a helpful report that analysed the proposed changes to the NPPF.  In summary the report comments that:

·       the Government was not going to meet its target of 300,000 homes a year for house building but that it should be retained for transparency and accountability but recommends that it now include a 90,000 homes target for social rented housing within the 300,000 homes.

·       To properly analyse the standard method and give greater flexibility in housing numbers on the delivery of the 300,000 homes a year target prior to the publication to any changes to the NPPF.

·       The Government’s standard method for assessing housing need is not fit for purpose and should be replaced by a revised formula.

·       The 35% uplift in urban areas should be abandoned and a revised standard method should take account of future  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.