Agenda item - DISCUSSION REGARDING PLANNING AND TRANSPORT

The Chairman to lead a discussion regarding Planning and Transport.

RESOLVED:

(1) That the Service Director – Regulatory be requested to circulate to the Panel and external parties the Future Homes Standards consultation;

(2) That the Service Director – Regulatory be requested to circulate to the Panel details of Stirling Awards 2019 – The project for Norwich City Council;

(3) That the Chair be requested to ensure re-iteration of NHDC’s Climate Change Emergency through NHDC communication channels (Outlook, external website etc.);

(4) That the Service Director – Regulatory and the Executive Member for Housing and Environmental Health, be requested to provide an update with regard empty dwellings within in the district and how, where appropriate, these can be brought back into use as homes.

(5) That the Executive Member for Planning and Transport be requested to consider the possibility of a Design Standards Committee;

(6) That the Service Director be requested to explore whether there was an opportunity to identify, in the Local Plan, which sites were most sustainable and whether these could be developed first;

(7) That Group Leaders and Members approach relevant local Council’s to lobby them to speak against the expansion of Luton Airport;

(8) That the Chair be requested to draft a letter on behalf of the Cabinet Panel on the Environment to other 10 Hertfordshire District Councils to express concerns regarding the proposed Luton Airport expansion.

NB – following the meeting it was advised that the Panel should request that the Executive Member for Planning and Transport undertake resolution 8.

Audio recording – 1 hour 5 minutes 10 seconds

Local Plan

The following Members took part in the debate:

· Councillor Steve Jarvis:

· Councillor Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg;

· Councillor Val Bryant;

· Councillor Ian Mantle;

· Councillor Michael Muir;

· Councillor Gerald Morris;

· Councillor Claire Strong;

· Councillor Kay Tart;

· Councillor Ian Moody.

The issues discussed included:

· The Local Plan was the most significant issue with decisions having an impact on many aspects;

· Need to consider the carbon emission of homes as they are built;

· What scope was available in the Local Plan to affect carbon impact by considering issues such as materials used;

· What scope was available to consider the sustainability of locations identified for development;

· What scope was there to ensure that the more sustainable locations were developed first;

· The Council needs to recognise the concept of fuel poverty and how electricity will be paid for in the future;

· How robust would the Council be in respect of developers putting in applications for more housing in an area than is in the Local Plan;

· Affordable/Social housing allocations in rural locations are often not taken up by social landlords and end up being sold at market rates;

· That other Councils have a design and standards committee that sets standards that have to be followed by developers.

The Service Director Regulatory advised that:

· The quickest way forward to impose design standards would be to undertake a single policy review following adoption of the Local Plan;

· There was a consultation on Future Homes Standards in which one proposal was to limit Planning Authorities’ ability to go over and above standards set out in building regulations;

· He strongly recommended that the public responded to the consultation;

· The increased design standards for the Norwich City scheme resulted as this was a site in the control of the Council ;

· Affecting home design standards and delivery on sites developed by private developers was more difficult;

· The Council’s responses to consultations were published in the regular Strategic Planning report to Cabinet.

Councillor Paul Clark, Executive Member for Planning and Transport advised that:

· The approximate number of empty houses was 400-500;

· The densities quoted in the Local Plan were indicative rather than prescriptive;

· CIL and S106 monies should be used to provide services such as bus services.

London Luton Airport

In respect of transport and Luton Airport the Service Director – Regulatory advised that the current permission was for 18 million passengers per year. The process to increase to 32 million passengers would be that the Planning Inspectorate would consider the application, preceded by the statutory consultation.

Currently NHDC was liaising with other affected authorities and were appointing a consultant to put in a response to the consultation.

The following Members took part in the debate:

· Councillor Steve Jarvis;

· Councillor Paul Clark;

· Councillor Elizabeth Dennis-Harburg;

· Councillor David Barnard;

· Councillor Kay Tart;

· Councillor Michael Muir.

Issues discussed included:

· That, if the expansion of Luton Airport took place a strong travel plan should be put in place regarding public and other sustainable transport;

· The Council was very restricted in what could be done, but needed to make strong representations to consultations;

· That Members need to convene a cross party group to make a public statement against the expansion of Luton Airport.

Transport – Construction Routes

The following Members took part in the debate:

· Councillor Claire Strong;

· Councillor Gerald Morris;

· Councillor Steve Jarvis.

Issues discussed included:

· The safety of construction routes for development sites in rural areas with narrow road;

· There were not enough tools in the toolkit to challenge and defend unsuitable construction routes.

In response to issues raised the Service Director – Regulatory advised:

· The Key was that the planning committee could only consider the area within the application site;

· The Council has to take account of advice from Hertfordshire Highways in respect of construction routes.