Agenda item

This report sets a first proposed redraft of Chapter 6 – Strategy for development at Principal Centres, Main Centres, Local Centres and Services Villages of the Local Plan.

Chapter 6 is a reworking of the equivalent chapter in the draft local plan and includes all of the sites that have been determined for allocation in previous committee meetings and excludes all of the sites that the committee rejected.

In the redrafting process, review has been undertaken to consider particular challenges, constraints or opportunities and drafted policy to reflect on and respond to these.  This means that some allocations had limited wording, specifically so where development would appear relatively straightforward, bearing in mind that we would seek compliance with all relevant policies in the plan elsewhere, as a norm. However, where there were site specific matters that need particular attention on any given allocation site, explicit requirements for development in plan policy were set out in the report.

These include, on larger and more complex sites, the need for comprehensive

Masterplans to be produced to lead and guide the development of the site.

Members were reminded that Neighbourhood Plans will continue to be examined for general conformity with the adopted Local Plan (2031), with some (increasing) consideration given to the relationship with the emerging Local Plan, until such time as the new Local Plan is at least at Main Modifications stage.

Discussion included:

·       Request for Brcl_29 allocation vehicle access route clarity; following lengthy discussion a proposal was put forward for a joint allocation of Brcl_29 and Brcl_12 with a masterplan with access to be determined;

·       Mitigation areas need to be separately identified on the allocation maps to avoid any misinterpretation;

·       GH/ED/27 improved pedestrian access along strawberry lane request; it was confirmed that the wording in the plan set out a delivery of safe access without being prescriptive about how this is delivered;

·       Colour coding to make clear that a site may not be solely for housing to be clarified;

·       Request for Axmi_02, Axmi_08 and Axmi_09 or GHED80 incorporate for future masterplanning please include burial ground – in response, this will need more work from officers to examine evidence to support and what can reasonably be required from a development, alongside the infrastructure delivery plan

·       GH/ED/80 site road future extension wording clarification; will clarify in wording to be related to the relief road;

A reminder that the Regulation 19 draft of the plan will be on agenda for 11 December 2024.

Recommendation:

1.     that mitigation areas need to be separately identified on the allocation maps to avoid any misinterpretation;

2.     that Brcl_29 and Brcl_12 are put forward as a joint allocation with the requirement of a masterplan, with access to the joint site to be determined;

3.     that committee endorse the proposed draft revised - Chapter 6. Strategy for development at the Principal Centre of Exmouth, Main Centres, Local Centres and Service Villages - of the local plan noting that they will need to be refined in readiness for the proposed Regulation 19 draft of the plan, subject to any further minor issues put forward directly to the Assistant Director to confer with the Chair under delegated authority to assess those minor issues and amend the chapter as they feel necessary.