Agenda and draft minutes

RESOLVED – That Councillor Dennis Edgerley of Chorley Council be appointed as Chair for this meeting.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and invited those present to introduce themselves.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillor Harold Heaton (Chorley Council), Councillor Paul Walmsley (Chorley Council), Councillor Alistair Bradley (Chorley Council), Councillor John Swindells (Preston City Council) County Councillor Michael Green (Lancashire County Council) and County Councillor Mark Perks (Lancashire County Council).

To confirm the minutes of the last meeting held on 6 December 2012 as a correct record (enclosed)

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting of the Central Lancashire Local Development Framework Joint Advisory Committee held on 6 December 2012 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The enclosed report from the Central Lancashire LDF Team seeks Members approval for future Central Lancashire LDF Joint Advisory Committees to meet twice yearly commencing from the financial year 2013/14 and to review the approach to the Committee’s arrangements in September 2015.

The Central Lancashire LDF Team submitted a report which proposed reducing the number of annual meetings from four to two with the proviso that additional meetings could be arranged as and when required to consider unforeseen business.

The two dates proposed were Tuesday, 24 September 2013 and Wednesday, 26 March 2014.

Members of the Committee debated the benefits for and against reducing the number of meetings to two per annum.

RESOLVED – That the number of meetings held per annum would be reduced to three and that the dates 24 September 2013 and 26 March 2014 be confirmed with the third meeting being held in December 2013, with the proviso that additional meetings could be arranged as and when required. 

(Since the Committee meeting the date of the December meeting has been confirmed as 17 December 2013.)

Members of the Central Lancashire LDF Joint Advisory Committee will receive a verbal update for the Central Lancashire LDF Coordinator.

District Councils updated the meeting on the progression of their individual Council’s Local Plan site allocations.

·         The Planning Manager from South Ribble Borough Council advised that the Council’s Local Plan Independent Examination was held from 5 - 14 March 2013.  There was a general feeling that it was a positive examination and that there was an expectation of a good outcome but that additional policies would be required.  The draft bio-diversity policy was due to be published for consultation.  The outcome of the consultation, were applicable, would be addressed within the Inspectors final report.  As a result it was anticipated that the Inspectors report would be delayed slightly and that the adoption of the Local Plan would now be September 2013.

One area of concern for the Inspector was the lack of an up to date Gypsy, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople Study.  South Ribble Borough Council were committed to undertake a study by Spring 2015 and put forward a motion that a report to look at the options and benefits of joint working to prepare a study into the need for permanent and transient gypsies and travellers sites and travelling showpeople sites be presented at the next Committee meeting for consideration.

·         Chorley Council’s Policy and Design Team Leader advised that the Local Plan Independent Examination was due to commence on 23 April 2013 and scheduled to last three weeks.  Matters raised by the Inspector, Dr Sheila Bussy, related mainly to the proposed allocations of housing and employment land, the soundness of the plan including its conformity with legal regulations, and the issue of alignment with supplementary planning documents.  In relation to the gypsy and travellers accommodation, the Inspector would examine whether or not she considered the evidence provided in support of the Core Strategy to still be robust. The Inspector also wished to discuss the forthcoming CIL charging regime. Chorley Council and representors responded to these matters and a number of Examination changes have been proposed in order to make the plan sound. Those changes and others proposed by the Inspector in order to make the plan ‘sound’ would be subject to a consultation period of six weeks at the close of the Independent Examination.

·         Preston City Council’s Planning Policy Manager advised that the Local Plan Site Allocation ‘Publication draft’ would be available in May 2013 and were expecting the examination to take place in autumn 2013.  The City Centre Action Plan ‘Preferred options’ document would be available June or July following which there would be a consultation period lasting up to September 2013.The consultation on the final version of the Plan would take place November or December 2013 which would be submitted to the Secretary of State after for examination which was expected to take place during the summer of 2014.  The DPD for North Preston Masterplan deadline was September 2013 to tie in with the Local Plan Site Allocations Independent Examination.

RESOLVED – That the updates be noted and that a report be prepared for the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.LDFJAC.43

Members of the Central Lancashire LDF Joint Advisory Committee will receive a verbal update for the Central Lancashire LDF Coordinator.

The Central Lancashire LDF Coordinator advised Members of the Committee that Simon Berkeley had been appointed Inspector for the Community Infrastructure Levy Draft Charging schedules examination which had been scheduled to take place on 23 April 2013 for a full day and a half day on 24 April 2013 both days commencing at 9.30am at the Tickled Trout Hotel, Samlesbury, Preston. 

The examination would take the form of a structured roundtable meeting with interested parties being invited to attend. 

Following the examination the Inspector would issue a decision letter which would say if he felt the schedules were sound and if not what could be done to make them sound.  After which the District Councils would need to adopt the final schedules at their respective Council meetings.

RESOLVED - That the update be noted.

Members of the Central Lancashire LDF Joint Advisory Committee will receive a verbal update for the Central Lancashire LDF Coordinator.

Members of the Committee were advised that the consultation on the Open Space and Playing Pitch Supplementary Planning Document expired on the 13 March 2013.

There were 20 respondents the comments of which can be viewed on the Central Lancashire website.  Before finalising the SPD a statement had to be displayed on the websites for four weeks which stated:

·         Who was consulted?

·         The main issues raised and how they had been addressed in the final document.

Members of the Central Lancashire LDF Joint Advisory Committee will receive a verbal update for the Central Lancashire LDF Coordinator.

The Director of Strategy and Policy from Lancashire County Council provided an update on the Highways and Transport Master Plan.  As part of the consultation process, which ran for six weeks between January and February 2013, officers met representatives from the three District Councils collectively and individually.  The consultation expired on the 25 February 2013, the result of which endorsed the County Council’s preferred option to ‘Improve and extend’.  Comments received as part of the consultation were evaluated, and addresses appropriately. Since the end of the consultation the Transport Master Plan had been approved, published and was signed off in mid-March 2013.

Members of the Committee noted that a number of schemes had been brought forward as a result of the consultation which included the northern section of the Broughton Bypass which had been brought forward by three years, and the design for Penwortham Bypass/A528 improvements which would commence immediately.   There was no commitment to build the new Ribble Bridge at the start of the scheme with work expected to commence in the next two years as there was a need to be mindful of the impact the HS2 could have on the Ribble Bridge as the final route for the HS2 had not been confirmed with the route detailed in the Master Plan only being the optimum route at this stage.

A sizeable amount of funding had already been secured for the projects, but that governance arrangements relating to CIL still needed to be drawn up and a strategy for the collection and delivery implemented. 

Members of the Committee discussed various aspects of the Master Plan and welcomed the news that a number of projects had been brought forward.

RESOLVED – That the update be noted.

The Royal Town and Planning Institute would be celebrating its centenary in 2014 and to commemorate it the Institute believe that there should be a celebration of the achievements of new, planned communities such as Central Lancashire and to this end they would like to present a special certificate honouring the achievements of Central Lancashire.  They are seeking feedback from the communities as to the factors that had made them a success and also the participation of schools and colleges in a competition thinking about the future needs of their town.  Further information would be provided at the next Committee meeting.