Agenda item

Principles of settlement boundaries (BUABs)

This report sets out the national planning policy context and merits of discussing the options with parish councils, neighbourhood planning groups and landowner/developer interests before undertaking detailed work on this issue for the new local plan.

Minutes:

The Committee considered and discussed the report and topic paper presented by the Service Lead – Planning Strategy and Development Management which set out the national planning policy context and the consideration of alternative approaches to help to deliver the local plan strategy.

 

The Service Lead – Planning Strategy and Development Management highlighted to Members the need to focus on the principles rather than on particular boundaries as this would be discussed at a later stage.

 

Discussion by Committee Members included:

·         Support was expressed for criteria based policy;

·         There is a need to put in place protection to stop overdevelopment in villages;

·         There is a need for proper strategic planning;

·         There is a need to protect our beautiful environment that people have come to enjoy and to also attract many visitors to the area;

·         What are the principles we are trying to achieve – a suggestion was made about the essential need to build low cost social housing in villages;

·         Reference was made to the rural exception sites that provide 66% of the homes as affordable housing which is a key area we can promote through the local plan and through our policies;

·         Support was expressed for built up area boundaries as these give planning certainty which has worked well and have generally been upheld through the planning process.  There is a danger with criteria based planning that it will cause sprawl and uncertainty;

·         Support was expressed for an hybrid alternative involving boundaries and criteria based policies as there is a danger for the Planning Committee to consider applications on merits rather than on principles;

·         Suggestion to ask parish councils that wish to develop to identify areas which can then be added to a register for future development.  In response the Service Lead – Planning Strategy and Development Management advised that Neighbourhood Plans allow the freedom for towns and parishes to define their area boundaries and allocate sites that they want to see developed.  The local plan is tied by different legislation and there is a need to take a more holistic and consistent approach across the district through the local plan.

·         Allow self-builders to build within the villages that they were born into.  In response the Service Lead – Planning Strategy and Development Management advised that the hybrid approach would allow a small scale of growth outside the boundary which could include self-build or social housing that would meet the needs of communities.

·         There is a need for rules and exceptions to rules especially when dealing with planning applications;

·         Fully support the hybrid approach with the need to be careful about our built up area boundaries and to encourage communities to do a neighbourhood plan to allow small scale growth;

·         Suggestion made for a further report setting out the options for a criteria based policy on development adjacent to settlements

 

That the principles of settlement boundaries topic paper were considered and that a further report will come back to Committee setting out options for a criteria based policy on development adjacent to settlements.

 

Supporting documents: