Further to Minute No. 9 of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services) held on 9 December 2014, the Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Corporate Services which incorporated the report of the Infrastructure Working Group.The Working Group had investigated and considered infrastructure issues arising from the preparation of the draft Local Plan for Sefton.
The Lead Member of the Working Group, Councillor Weavers referred to a wide range of issues which had been considered in detail by the Working Group, as set out in the report and he indicated that one of the key issues arising from the report was the need for the Council to have the capacity to meet the estimated level of affordable housing per annum.
The Cabinet Member – Regeneration and Tourism (Councillor Maher) indicated that he had requested that the Working Group be established to consider the infrastructure issues arising from the preparation of the Local Plan and he thanked the Members of the Working Group for all of the work undertaken in liaison with officers to produce the comprehensive report and recommendations.
Decision Made:
That the recommendations of the Infrastructure Working Group, as set out in paragraph 5 of its Final Report and detailed below, be approved:-
1. That infrastructure proposals are assessed to ensure that they are sufficient to meet the diverse needs of the local community and mitigate any local adverse effects of development that may result in the failure of Local Plan objectives, recommendations and/or plan policies and to ensure that the key principles for the Spatial Strategy are met.
2. That the Sustainability Appraisal makes specific reference to infrastructure improvements to mitigate any problems, or maximise benefits, identified through the appraisal process. Such opportunities should be clearly highlighted through cross references between the Sustainability Appraisal and the Infrastructure Delivery Plan. Where mitigation is found to be impracticable or the wider impact on surrounding areas unacceptable, alternatives should be sought.
3. That account is taken of the local evidence generated by Neighbourhood Plans and policies to ensure a holistic approach to planning within Sefton’s Local Plan and associated documents in relation to the provision of infrastructure and community facilities.
4. That a report be submitted to the Cabinet and Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services) at the appropriate time, setting out the approach to the Community Infrastructure Levy and the potential relative priorities to be attached to the range of infrastructure needs. This process should be supported by giving priority to locally determined infrastructure needs and Government guidance informing how Community Infrastructure Levy contributions should be allocated.
5. Flood Risk and Drainage: That any new development does not increase flood risk from any source within the site and elsewhere, and where possible reduces flood risk.
6. Impact of large development building sites on existing communities: That a clear policy approach is set out in the Local Plan and Infrastructure Delivery Plan to ensure that the infrastructure needed is provided in a timely manner.
7. Further to (6) above, the clear policy approach should include measures to reduce or mitigate disruption caused by development including noise, pollution, increased congestion, and traffic impacts on the highway network. The Local Planning Authority is asked to maximise the use of planning conditions and legal agreements to control and mitigate impacts of new development – particularly in relation to traffic management, construction impacts and hours of operation.
8. The importance of the provision of adequate health provision and infrastructure is recognised. The Local Plan Team is requested to work in liaison with the relevant Health officials to ensure that the impact of new homes is managed and planned well in advance so that sufficient health care is provided in the right locations and reports be submitted annually by the Director of Public Health (supported by Planning Services) to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Health and Social Care) and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services) on this matter.
9. The importance of not only building homes but building communities is recognised. The Local Plan should ensure that sufficient /appropriate community facilities are included in new developments with support from developers.
10. The important contribution of green spaces to making Sefton an attractive place to live is recognised. The Local Plan should include appropriate policies to protect valuable green spaces – including opportunities for establishing locally determined green space standards through neighbourhood planning, site specific master plans or development briefs. To be eligible to receive Community Infrastructure Levy, the local communities should be encouraged to consider adopting a Neighbourhood Plan to maximise benefits to their communities.
11. The provision for school facilities be incorporated into the Infrastructure Delivery Plan, with a clear approach to where, how and when additional school places will be provided.
12. Highways and Transport: It is recognised that any development does not increase the number of additional daily car journeys to socially unacceptable levels and that policies should be included to require large developments to include (and fund) necessary highways improvements subject to them not having an unacceptable impact on the local community; such improvements should include benefits to accessibility and sustainable transport choices such a cycle lanes etc.
13. The importance of adequate public transport is recognised and the Local Plan should consider ways to improve transport East/West across the borough, including the developers’ role in assisting with supported transport services
14. That any affordable and/or social housing is developed in a way that ensures ‘pepperpotting’ as opposed to clustering.
15. That the housing mix in new developments reflects the demographic need for the local community and that appropriate local evidence is used as part of the policy.
16. That the Local Planning Authority in completing the publication draft, revisit policies related to the provision of infrastructure to ensure that they are robust, so that appropriate infrastructure will be delivered at the right time in the right place. A robust policy approach should be developed to ensure that an equitable balance is achieved between viability from a developers and landowners perspective and the social costs and benefits for the local community.
17. That Sefton Council write to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government expressing concern about the potential risks associated with infrastructure providers and their ability to deliver required infrastructure at the right time and in the right place, and requesting the ability to apply harsher sanctions when planning conditions are unmet. The Secretary of State be asked to issue additional guidelines on viability assessments to include a more ‘balanced‘ approach – including the assessment of community impact and value in addition to developers and landowners considerations.
18. That resolutions 1 to 17 above be monitored through the Authority Monitoring Report to be submitted to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (Regeneration and Environmental Services) and Cabinet. This is a requirement for monitoring the implementation of the Local Plan and takes place at least once a year.
Reasons for Decision:
The Working Group had made a number of recommendations that required approval by the Cabinet.
Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:
None. The Infrastructure Working Group was established to consider and make recommendations on infrastructure issues arising from the Local Plan for Sefton (See Minute47 below relating to the Local Plan for Sefton: Publication Draft Plan). It is not an option for the Council to choose not to adopt such a Plan and as mentioned above, the Working Group’s recommendations had been produced to help guide the Council and communities during the Local Plan process.