Agenda and minutes

Resolved – That Councillor David Borrow be appointed as Chair for the meeting.

·       Fire  Procedures / Mobile Phones / Rest Room

·        “Members of the public, committee members and officers are reminded that under The Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014, the press and public may film, audio record, photograph and use social media whilst the meeting is in progress, for Part A items only, and as long as no disruption is caused to the meeting. Anyone filming is asked to focus their attention on elected members rather than other visitors”. (To be read out if visitors present).

The Chair, Councillor David Borrow, welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillor Mal Donoghue (South Ribble Borough Council).

There were none.

To receive any declarations of interest from members.

There were none.

The Director of Development and Housing submitted the minutes of a meeting of the Central Lancashire Strategic Planning Joint Advisory Committee held on 18 November 2021.  Pursuant to previous minutes, apologies should have been noted as being given for County Councillor Maxwell – Scott (Lancashire County Council).  Also Councillor Mrs Whittam attended the meeting in her role as County Councillor not City Councillor.  Attendance should have also been noted for Councillors Smith and Watson (South Ribble Borough Council), Marcus Hudson (Head of Planning, Lancashire County Council) and Chris Hayward (Director for Planning and Housing, Preston City Council) was also missed from the minutes.

Resolved - That the minutes of the meeting of the Central Lancashire Strategic Planning Joint Advisory Committee held on 18 November 2021 be noted and signed as a correct record subject to the amendments detailed above.

Report enclosed.

Carolyn Williams, Central Lancashire Local Plan Co-Ordinator, submitted a report on the Central Lancashire Local Plan.

An update was given on the progress of the Local Plan informing the Committee that the failure to recruit to the vacant posts, and home teams also being stretched due to demands on officer time in dealing with planning appeals, had impacted on the Local Plan work and progress had been slowed.   Temporary agency support for one officer had been extended until end of April 2022, and officers are continuing to look at potential routes to bring in additional consultancy support.

Committee were informed that officers are awaiting the release of a number of key documents being led by LCC to inform the Greater Lancashire Plan (GLP) which cover economy and the environment.  The Economic work had been published, and officers have already been utilising aspects of this evidence through the update to the Employment Land Study and the work DLP Planning had been commissioned to undertake on housing.  Councillors asked that the Economic report be attached to the minutes (please see below). https://www.lancashireier.org/reports/

Officers are still looking at options for delivering the Preferred Option consultation, to enable all the evidence base work needed for that to be in place. As part of this officers had been looking at how to deliver the next stage to enable the information to get out there as soon as it is ready, whilst ensuring a robust and transparent process to preparing the plan is undertaken. Unfortunately this does mean that consultation on this stage is delayed, but it is felt it is necessary for the above reasons.  Actual dates for the consultation will be provided following completion of work to update the LDS.

Other issues discussed and detailed in the report related to the following: -  

·         SHEELA

·         Preferred Options

·         Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA)

·         Housing Evidence

·         Central Lancashire Density Study

·         Central Lancashire Transport Masterplan

·         Central Lancashire Landuse Study

·         Climate Change

·         Local Plan Viability

·         Integrated Assessment (IA) and Habitat Regulation Assessment (HRA)

·         Employment Land Review

·         Duty to Cooperate 

Resolved – That the report was noted.

The next meeting of the Central Lancashire Strategic Planning Joint Advisory Committee is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, 22 March 2022 at 6.30pm.

The next meeting of the Central Lancashire Strategic Joint Advisory Committee will be held at South Ribble Borough Council on Tuesday 22 March 2022 at 6.30 pm.

Resolved - That the public be excluded from this meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that there is likely to be disclosure of exempt information which is described in the paragraphs of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 which are specified against the heading to each item, and that in all the circumstances of the case the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing it.

Richard Swann, Associate Landscape Planner for LUC, provided Members with an update on the Green Belt and Other Land Designation Study Initial Findings. 

Resolved – That the presentation, be noted.

Edward Broadhead, Central Lancashire Local Plan Team, provided Members with an update on the Central Lancashire Policy Review and what the next steps are going to be. 

Resolved – That the update, be noted.

Carolyn Williams, Central Lancashire Local Plan Co-Ordinator provided Members with an update on the Local Plan Resourcing & Programme Timetable.

Resolved - That the update, be noted