Report No. 71/2018

Report No. 71/2018 from the Chief Executive was received.

Mr N Begy, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy and Planning Operations, Highways & Transport and Communications, introduced the report, the purpose of which was to:

1.    Set out a revised timetable for the delivery of the Local Plan. It was recommended that the timetable was amended in order to fully incorporate the implications of potential development of St Georges barracks into the Local Plan. This would entail undertaking an additional round of non-statutory public consultation and commissioning of appropriate evidence, prior to producing the next version of the Local Plan. This additional consultation, which would be specifically focused on considering the implications of any potential development at St Georges, would help to appropriately shape the form and content of the new Local Plan for Rutland.

2.    The new Local Plan would help to guide proposals for growth and investment in Rutland up to 2036. It would provide greater certainty to all parties regarding the local development processes and proposed planning policies for Rutland. The preparation of a new local Plan provided the opportunity for all our communities to help shape what the County would look like over the next 15-20 years, thereby create ng the policy framework that would help guide all investment and development decisions over the plan period. It would also allow the Council to set out its ambitions for the future growth and prosperity of Rutland.

3.    The updated recommended timetable for the production of the new Local Plan was set out in the report and the accompanying revised Local Development Scheme (LDS).

During discussions the following points were raised:

i.      Responses from the previous consultation on the Local Plan were being used to inform the draft plan and a report of consultation responses would be published alongside the next version of the Plan.  Feedback on the incorporation of the potential development of St Georges would be captured in the next round of consultation;

ii.     South Kesteven were slightly further in the process with their Local Plan than Rutland.  With regard to the potential development of land to the north of Stamford, a draft Memorandum of Cooperation  had been produced which would guide South Kesteven and Rutland in the formulation of a master plan for the development of this site;

iii.    Consultations would be in line with statutory requirements.  It was not always possible for the consultation periods to avoid peak holiday periods, but clear communications would be provided on the timetable and consultation periods to ensure that Parish Councils and members of the public were kept informed.  A press release would be prepared following the Cabinet Meeting with details regarding the timetable and information would also be updated on the website;

iv.   The infrastructure implications of the potential development north of Stamford (Quarry Farm) were being addressed, officers from both Rutland and South Kesteven were working together to assess highways, education and health implications;

v.     Potential development on the Quarry Farm site would contribute to the assessed housing need of South Kesteven.

DECISION

Cabinet APPROVED the updated Local Development Scheme appended to Report No. 71/2018.

Reasons for the decision

1.    The report sets out a revised timetable for the production of the Local Plan in order to fully incorporate the implications of any potential development at St. Georges into the document. A further stage of specific consultation regarding this is proposed to help shape the form and content of the new Local Plan. Revisions to the Local Development Scheme are recommended to reflect this timetable as well as the joint working arrangements in relation to the proposed development of land on the north of Stamford and the intention to produce a Design SPD.