Agenda item

This report sets the scene for the redrafting of the written text of the Local Plan.

The report set out some redrafted chapters of the local plan for proposed inclusion in the Regulation 19 draft of the plan. These drafts set out a steer on the policies that officers advised for inclusion in the plan.

The specific chapters considered by the Committee were:

·       Chapter 8. Meeting housing needs for all;

·       Chapter 9. Supporting jobs and the economy and vibrant town centres; and communications facilities we need

·       Chapter 15. Our outstanding historic environment

Redrafting of Chapter 8: Meeting housing needs for all

Chapter 8 had been edited down, concentrating on the most significant issues and removing matters not directly relevant to planning policy considerations and local plan provision.

Key aspects included:

·       Highlighting in policy the aspiration to secure accommodation for younger people to assist in supporting a younger workforce.

·       Removal of First Homes from policy on affordable housing and more so for policy throughout the plan.

·       Under affordable housing policy the emphasis is on social rent

·       provision. The affordable housing policy will, however, need to be subject to careful scrutiny under viability assessment.

·       Lowering expectations for elderly person housing delivery.

·       Policy on accessible and adaptable homes seeks lower levels of provision;

·       Removed the Policy that specified the mix, by bedroom sizes, sought on new housing development sites.

·       Rural exception housing sites now has 15 dwelling upper size threshold removed.

The Committee were reminded that there was still a scheduled working group with a briefing from consultants on viability, with the detail on thresholds for this chapter coming forward to the Committee to discuss at their meeting on 22 November.

Comments on this chapter included:

·       Housing needs anecdotally had been understood as a predominant need for smaller homes for both young people, and downsizers; the evidence presented from the Local Needs Housing Assessment for the overall district presented as a need primarily for 3 to 4 bedroom homes, with demand high from buyers migrating from other areas of the country to the District;

·       The drafted policy did reflect that local communities will have differing needs and that a mix of housing was required for the different stages of life;

·       It was difficult to control through planning policy who bought up smaller homes with the challenge of market forces;

·       There was no reference to fire safety in relation to Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) as this was covered under Building Regulations;

·       The assessment was undertaken by modelling of the demographics of the district, not by directly surveying individuals;

·       The evidence to date was district wide and therefore did not reflect the rural and urban differences in housing need;

·       Look to strengthen the wording of the policy HN01 on the requirement mix to link to the local need as and when a Neighbourhood Plan or a detailed supplementary planning document was produced. An action was noted to review the wording to reflect on the comments of the Committee;

·       Use of the Housing Register debated on its merits of providing useful data to need, without being skewed by the lower bands of no local connection or able to afford to purchase;  the Devon Homes data needed to be treated with care and avoid direct reference to it, only to refer to other local data sources;

·       Policy 10 needed strengthening on the description of housing needs;

·       HN10 Rural exception sites, to review the wording relating to how sustainability criteria are treated for those sites outside a settlement boundary. An action was noted to review the wording to reflect on the comments of the Committee.

Redrafting of Chapter 9: Supporting jobs and the economy and vibrant town centres

Several changes have been made to Chapter 9 to reflect consultation responses and a desire to make the document and policies clear and focussed.

Key changes included:

·       policy allowing employment development in the countryside has been rewritten to allow extension of existing businesses as well as intensification.

·       Farm diversification policy has been amended to widen the range of diversification activities that will be supported and place less restrictions on prioritising E(g), B2 and B8 employment uses, but this also means that a viability statement is required to demonstrate how the activities will support the long-term sustainability of the farm holding.

·       Policy requiring Employment and Skills Statements on major developments is now evidenced and reworded.

·       Policy which sets out the settlements to which town centre policies will apply was amended to make it clear that Cranbrook town centre will be covered by the policies in the Cranbrook Plan.

·       Policy which relates to town centre and primary shopping areas has been slightly amended to support the incorporation of cycle provision and enhancement of the natural environment where possible.

·       Local Shops and services will continue to be supported but policy has been amended to apply to all tier 1-4 settlements (not just the smaller 3-4 ones) and to standardise the wording relating to the requirement to demonstrate a lack of viability if a facility is proposed to be lost.

·       Policy relating to rural shops has the requirements amended so that at least 50% of the products being sold must be produced on the holding and the remainder must be sourced or produced from within a 10-mile radius.

·       Sustainable tourism policy has an additional section which resists the loss of existing dwellings to holiday accommodation.

Comments from the committee included:

·       The chapter did not have enough content to support the level of growth desired. In response, the Committee were advised of an additional chapter still under development relating to the West End, where a number of growth factors were set out;

·       SE03 on farm diversification review, in looking to encourage development of industries from the primary produce (such as manufacturing cheese from a dairy farm) whilst not diversifying to such an extent that farming was lost.  In response, the wording of the policy was felt broad enough to encompass a wide range of diversification options; however an action was noted to review the wording to reflect on the comments of the Committee;

·       SE09 Rural shops percentage of goods from a ten mile radius of the holding was debated on how that could be adjusted to help maximise locally produced produce being sold.  In response, it was explained to the Committee that the policy had been drafted to maximise locally produced products, to aid the economic benefits to the area and help support local businesses.  The size of shops was also discussed on how the size could be limited to an appropriate scale to the location. An action was noted to review the wording to reflect on the comments of the Committee.

Redrafting of Chapter 15: Our outstanding historic environment

These policies had not undergone significant amendment since the Draft Plan

Consultation, but were updated to current interpretation. Historic England are the key statutory body with an interest in this topic, so they were involved in discussions regarding redrafting the Chapter.

RESOLVED

1.     that the revised Chapter 8 be endorsed, noting the actions identified for revision and that refinement was still required in readiness for the proposed Regulation 19 draft of the Plan

2.     that the revised Chapter 9 be endorsed, noting the actions identified for revision and that refinement was still required in readiness for the proposed Regulation 19 draft of the Plan.

3.     that the revised Chapter 15 be endorsed, noting that refinement was still required in readiness for the proposed Regulation 19 draft of the Plan.