In accordance with the
Council’s Continuous Improvement Model, the Sub-Committee
received an update on the progress of the Local Plan to date
included details of the initial Local Plan consultation that took
place earlier in 2015 and the preparation of evidenced base to
support the Plan.
The report informed that the
Local Plan report sought Cabinet approval to publish an updated
Local Development Scheme (LDS) which was a statutory document
setting out the plans and policy documents that would be prepared
and a timetable for their delivery.
The Sub-Committee noted that
since December 2015 the following progress
had been made on the Local Plan:
1.
Evidence Base
The Local Plan was required to
be supported and justified by a credible and robust evidence base.
The key pieces of evidence that had progressed since December 2015
were:
- Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) 2016
– The Havering's SFRA Level 1 was published in 2014 and it provided a
robust depiction of flood risk across the borough. Since the report
was finalised the Environment Agency had published revised climate
change projections which are required to be taken into account. An
update of the 2014 SFRA had therefore been produced.
- Open
Space, Allotments and Sport and Recreation Needs Assessment
- provided a
comprehensive assessment of the borough's existing supply of and
future need for open spaces, allotments and sports facilities (both
indoor and outdoor).
- Infrastructure Delivery Plan –identified the infrastructure
needed to support the population and housing growth over the plan
period. The study covered transport, water supply, wastewater and
its treatment, energy, telecommunications, utilities, waste,
health, social care, education and burial space.
- Gypsy
and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessment – provided a
robust assessment of current and future need for Gypsy, Traveller
and Travelling Showpersons
accommodation within the Borough.
- Town
Centre Audits The surveys provided an up
to date understanding of the uses and vacancies within each town
centre. The Audit would inform on decisions on any updates to the
town centre designations within the Local Plan.
- Wind
Energy Assessment sought to identify
areas within the borough that were potentially suitable for the
development of wind turbines in response to the Written Ministerial
Statement (HCWS42) in June 2015 and the subsequent amendments to
the Planning Practice Guidance which stated that Local Planning
Authorities should only grant planning permission for wind turbines
if the development site was in an area identified as suitable for
wind energy development in a Local Plan.
- Residential Car Parking Standards Study would set out the evidence to inform local car parking standards
within the Plan.
-
Transport Background
Paper brought together a number of
transport evidence base documents to support the Plan.
- Outer
North East London Strategic Housing Market Assessment
This study has been undertaken with the London
Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Redbridge. It outlined the
objectively assessed need for private and affordable housing within
the housing market area for the outer north east London area. Prior
to the publication of the study updated population and household
projections were published by the GLA. Work was underway to ensure
that these projections are reflected in the SHMA.
- Local
Plan Viability Assessment –sought
to determine the likely impact that the policies and standards in
the Local Plan would have on the viability of developments within
the borough. The purpose of the viability assessment was to show
(in general terms) that the cumulative impact when considering the
Plan as a whole does not put the implementation of the Plan at
risk.
- Sustainability Appraisal – sought to ensure that the promotion of
sustainable development was integrated in the plan making process.
It was a key tool used to appraise the environmental, economic and
social effects of plans, strategies and policies.
- Green
Belt Study – assessed Havering's
Green Belt against the purposes of green belt as outlined in the
National Planning Policy Framework. A Green
Belt Topic Group had been set up by the Towns and Communities
Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee to scrutinise and better
understand the process involved in green belt land designation
within the local plan system. Several meetings and a tour of green
belt sites had taken place. A further
meeting was scheduled for late January 2017.
Officers stated that the Havering Local Plan was being prepared
in accordance with the ‘Duty to Co-operate’, that
placed a legal duty on local authorities and other public bodies to
engage constructively, actively and on an on-going basis to
maximise the effectiveness of Local Plan preparation on strategic
cross-boundary matters.
The
Sub-Committee noted that since December 2015 officers had carried
out a programme of engagement with neighbouring boroughs, other
public bodies including the GLA & Environment Agency and had
individual meetings as well as a formal duty to co-operate workshop
with neighbouring boroughs in November 2016.
The
Sub-Committee was informed that the Local Plan Direction of Travel
Document was published in November 2016 as a
way of engaging with and keeping stakeholders up to date and
providing further detail on the emerging strategy and policy
approach that will be reflected in the Pre-Submission Local
Plan.
The
preparation of the Direction of Travel was not a statutory
requirement but was prepared to inform stakeholders and assist in
the process of preparing a new Plan.
Responses received to the Direction of Travel Document would be
collated and reported to Cabinet alongside the Pre-Submission
version of the Local Plan in due course.
The Development Planning Team
Leader informed the Sub-Committee that a draft Pre-Submission Local Plan would be discussed
at a series of briefings with Cabinet Members throughout January
2017 followed by engagement with non-administration
Members.
The indicative timetable for
the progression of the Local Plan was outlined as
follows:
–
Consultation (under Regulation 19) on the
Pre-Submission version to commence in early 2017
–
Submission - Spring 2017
–
Examination - Summer/Autumn 2017 (subject to the
availability of the Planning Inspectorate)
–
Adoption - Winter 2017/18
The Sub-Committee noted
the report.