Agenda item

To consider publication of the Draft Local Plan and Staines Development Framework for public consultation (Regulation 19).

The Chair moved, and it was seconded by Cllr Rybinski that all resolutions on this item were referred to full Council.  This was agreed unanimously.

The Strategic Planning Manager presented her report, setting out the benefits of the draft Local Plan and Staines Development Framework and outlining the extensive process undertaken to date. Both had reached key milestones in the preparation process and the Committee’s agreement was sought to publish planning documents for public consultation.  For the Local Plan, this was Regulation 19 stage, where the pre-submission version would be open to final public consultation prior to submission to the Planning Inspectorate. 

Questions and concerns were raised by the Committee on a range of issues and it was agreed that these would be included in the list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and made available on the Council’s website.  

The Strategic Planning Manager undertook to notify Committee members of any minor changes and corrections to the draft Local Plan, it was envisaged that these would only be small tweaks or changes prior to the Council meeting on 19 May.

In response to a question from a member, the Committee was advised that the list of brownfield sites was in the Strategic Land Availability Assessment (SLAA) which had been published in January and was available on the Council’s website.  The SLAA didn’t form part of the local plan but provided evidence to underpin it.  Officers were in the process of updating this and it would be published on the website shortly, The Local Plan Task Group had been regularly notified of changes to the list.

Members of the Committee requested that the percentage of green belt to be released should be expressed in size and not just as a percentage of the total amount within the borough.  Some considered it misleading that the green belt area included reservoirs and that should be made clear in the document.

Assurance was sought on the future safeguarding of leisure facilities in Sunbury.  Members were advised that this would be assessed in future needs and at the 5 year stage, however this did not allay concerns and the Strategic Planning Manager undertook to raise this with the Assets and Leisure Services team prior to the Council meeting.

Other issues and matters raised ranged from the implications and sanctions of not delivering on our housing numbers, the need to ensure affordable housing is delivered and is truly affordable, and whether infrastructure can be delivered early before development, through to zoning within Staines and proposed exemptions policy, whether the Plan is in line with the Climate change Act, what happens if the government lowers our housing number after the adoption of the Local Plan and when does the Local Plan take effect.

The Committee resolved:

1.    To refer their resolutions on this item to Council for final decision.

2.    To make the following recommendations to Council:

·         That the Pre-Submission Publication Version of the Local Plan be published for public consultation under Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended).

·         That the draft Staines Development Framework be published for public consultation.

·         That public consultation for both the Pre-Submission Publication version of the Local Plan and draft Staines Development Framework run from 15 June 2022 to 5 September 2022.

·         That the Local Plan Task Group and the Staines Development Task Group consider the specific requirements around the most appropriate public consultation mechanisms.

·         To authorise the Strategic Planning Manager to make minor changes and corrections to the documents prior to publication, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of this committee.