Report No 105/2021 was received from the Strategic Director of Places.

At this point Councillor A Walters proposed a brief adjournment to allow Members a comfort break, this was seconded.

With 12 votes in favour, 12 against and 3 abstentions, the vote was tied and the Chairman used his casting vote to defeat the motion, stating he wished the meeting to continue longer before proceeding to an adjournment.

Councillor I Razzell, Portfolio Holder for Planning, introduced the report and the recommendation from officers to withdraw the submitted Local Plan, but highlighted that officer’s role was to make recommendations and the decision lay with Council. Councillor Razzell also drew Members attention to the alternative options set out in Report 105/2021, which included an option for Council to revisit the decision to decline the Housing Infrastructure Grant funding after 22 September 2021 in order to continue with the submitted Local Plan.

Councillor Razzell proposed that Council delay a decision to withdraw the Local Plan in order to revisit the decision to decline the HIF grant after 22 September 2021. this was seconded and copies of an extract from Report 105/2021 setting out the option to revisit HIF were also produced for Members.

In response to a question from Councillor G Waller, Phillip Horsfield, Monitoring Officer explained that an amendment to instead consider the original recommendations set out in Report 105/2021 would have the effect of negating Councillor Razzell’s motion before Council and thus could not be considered. Therefore, a motion on the recommendations of Report 105/2021 could only be moved and considered should the motion from Councillor Razzell fall.

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The Chairman adjourned the meeting for 10 minutes to allow Members a comfort break and the extracts of Report 105/2021 to be distributed and read.

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A number of Members spoke in support of the option to re-consider the HIF after 22 September. It was highlighted that withdrawing the submitted Local Plan and starting the process afresh could leave the Council without an agreed Local Plan for some years which Report 105/2021 suggested could leave the Council vulnerable to intervention from central Government.

It was also highlighted the withdrawal of the Local Plan would result in the Council being unable to demonstrate a 5-year housing supply, which would leave areas across the county vulnerable to uncontrolled development not restrained by the various planning and environmental policies within a Local Plan. It was also put forward that allowing the submitted Local Plan to proceed would set a clear direction for Members and officers of the Council but also the County as a whole.

Members supporting the motion also gave the view that St George’s Barracks was a brownfield site and any future Local Plan would include development at the site, and re-visiting the HIF grant would allow the Council to ensure a sustainable and self-contained development and that the necessary infrastructure was delivered.

Other Members spoke against the motion and in support of the officer’s recommendation to withdraw the submitted Local Plan and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7