Agenda item

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Built Environment in relation to the Local Plan for Sefton. The report presented the Publication Draft Plan, a key stage in the preparation of Sefton’s Local Plan. The Plan set out issues and challenges facing Sefton that included:

·         a vision for Sefton looking ahead to 2030

·         a strategy for how Sefton’s housing, business and other development needs can be met

·         development management policies to help guide development and provide a policy framework for making decisions on planning applications

·         detailed site allocations showing how needs can be met

·         details of the Publication period and next stages.

The Publication Draft Plan was an important corporate strategy document which had being developed within the statutory planning framework.

The Director of Built Environment indicated that the Publication Draft Plan had been produced following a lengthy and rigorous planning process and that it had been considered and scrutinised in detail by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services) on 9 December 2014 and the Planning Committee on 12 January 2015 and that following this meeting, the report would be submitted to the Council on 22 January 2015 for approval.

The Leader of the Council (Councillor P. Dowd) indicated that the Publication Draft Plan had been prepared in accordance with the National Planning Policy Framework produced by the Government and that the Council had legal obligation to produce a Local Plan that met the requirements of the Framework. Following the approval of the Publication Draft Plan by the Council, it would be published for a period of eight weeks and then be submitted to the Secretary of State for examination. All of the comments received on the Publication Draft Plan during that eight week period would be submitted to the Government appointed independent inspector for consideration at the examination hearing.

Cabinet Members expressed their appreciation for the inclusion of policies in the Draft Plan on health and wellbeing issues and the provision of sustainable growth in the Borough.

The Cabinet expressed their thanks to all of the Planning Officers who had been involved in the production of the draft Local Plan over a number of years.

Decision Made:

That the Council be recommended to approve the following:

(i)         the Local Development Scheme as set out in Section 2.6 and Annex A of the report;

(ii)        the Authority Monitoring Report as set out in Section
           20 of the report;

(iii)       the further evidence which supports the Draft Plan, as outlined in Section 21 of the report, for consultation;

(iv)       the Draft Plan for publication;

(v)        the approach to notifying people of the Draft Plan, as outlined in Section 22 of the report;

(vi)       grant delegated powers to the Director of Built Environment to make minor editorial changes to the draft Plan before it is published, as referred to in Section 23.1 of the report;

(vii)      following the end of the publication period, and subject to there being no material change of circumstances, authorise the draft Plan to be submitted to the Secretary of State for examination.

Reasons for Decision:

The Council is required to prepare and adopt a Local Plan. Paragraph 153 of the National Planning Policy Framework states: “Each local planning authority should produce a Local Plan for its area”. Under Section 39 (2) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 a local authority exercising their plan making functions must do so with the objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development.

It will be necessary to have the Local Plan formally examined by a Government appointed independent planning inspector. The Local Plan must meet statutory planning requirements and will be assessed for ‘soundness’. The Publication Draft Plan is considered to be the most appropriate option for Sefton when considering these various requirements. It is not an option for the Council to choose not to adopt a plan.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

None.