Agenda item

Report of the Director of Partnerships, Planning and Policy attached, including: 

Councillor Dennis Edgerley, Executive Member for LDF and Planning presented a report of the Director of Partnerships, Planning and Policy seeking approval to the publication version of the Chorley Local Plan.

The report summarising the progress of the Site Allocations and Development Management Policies Development Pan Document which would now be known as the Chorley Local Plan. In addition Members received:

·         The proposed Publication Version of the Chorley Local Plan 2012 – 2016 (Appendix 1)

·         Policies Maps for the Local Plan (Appendix 2)

·         Sustainability Appraisal of the Local Plan (Appendix 3)

·         A summary of Preferred Option Representations received (Appendix 4); and in addition

·         A schedule of minor amendments to the Local Plan was circulated at the meeting, including changes to Appendix 4.

In presenting the report, Councillor Edgerley referred to the recent decision of the Planning Inspector to grant permission for the Lucas Lane application for 135 dwellings. This would allow the phasing of development within the Local Plan to be revisited.

He referred to the need to approve the publication stage of the Local Plan to avoid any further delay in the process. It was important that the Council conducted its planning role supported by the Local Plan and could therefore better defend its decisions on planning applications.

During debate, Members raised the following concerns:

·         the balance of allocations

·         The phasing of development

·         Windfall housing

·         Areas of separation

Councillor Greg Morgan proposed and Councillor Alan Platt seconded the following amendment to the Local Plan:

“This Council does not agree to the publication version of the Chorley Local Plan. 

Officers are requested to review this document to revisit the following points:

1.    The Balance of Allocation within the plan. Officially provided numbers make plain that in excess of one third of the planned allocation will take place within the Euxton Parish Boundary and this is unacceptable to the parish residents.

2.    The current plan for future phasing is unnecessary and unacceptable. Currently planning permission is in place for 8.4 years worth of housing which would take us to 2020 so the phasing schedule on agenda page 91 should load the preponderance of development into the 2021 - 2026 element of the plan to protect the residents of Chorley from rogue development - such as has just been approved at Lucas Lane

3.    The current failure to include windfall housing in the plan should be revisited.

Paragraph 5.17 on page 37 of the document shows that an average of 47 windfall housing permissions are granted per year.  Over the lifetime of the strategy this will provide approximately 700 houses not currently allowed for in the planning numbers.

4.         Areas of separation are not maintained. The allocation of Strawberry Fields on Euxton Lane for industrial development provides too little separation between development areas.”

On being put to the vote, the amendment was LOST, with votes being recorded as follows:

For the amendment

Councillors Bell, Caunce, Cullens, Dalton, David Dickinson, Goldsworthy, Gray, Hansford, Iddon, Joyce, Leadbetter, Morgan, Muncaster, Perks, Platt, G Russell, R Russell, J Walker.

Against the amendment

Councillors Ball, Berry, Bradley, Brown, Cronshaw, Crow, Dunn, Edgerley, Finnamore, France, A Gee, D Gee, Holgate, Khan, Lees, A Lowe, M Lowe, Murfitt, Murray, Phipps, Rogerson, K Snape, Walmsley, Wilson and the Mayor, Councillor Molyneaux.

Councillor Dennis Edgerley, Executive Member for LDF and Planning proposed, Councillor Alistair Bradley, Executive Leader seconded and it was RESOLVED –

1.    The Council approves the “publication” version of the Chorley Local Plan; as appended to this report (Appendix 1), together with the Policies Maps (Appendix 2) and the Sustainability Appraisal (Appendix 3) for public consultation;

2.    That delegated authority be granted to the Executive Member for LDF and Planning (or the Leader of the Council in his absence) in consultation with the Director for Partnerships, Planning and Policy for the following matters in relation to the Publication stage:

(i)            The actual start and end dates for consultation for the Publication stage (anticipated to be for 6 weeks during October – November 2012)

(ii)          to approve minor changes and amendments prior to the start of consultation including revisiting the phasing of development in the light of the decision of the Planning Inspector on the Lucas Lane site (excludes substantive changes to any policy wording, and the deletion/addition of any sites for allocation)

(iii)         the approval of other documents for consultation as listed in paragraph 86 of the report.

3.    Authority be delegated to the Executive Member for LDF and Planning (or the Leader of the Council in his absence) in consultation with the Director for Partnerships, Planning and Policy for the following matters in relation to the Submission stage (anticipated in December 2012):

(i)             to prepare documentation in accordance with the regulations to detail representations made at Publication Stage;

(ii)           to submit the Chorley Local Plan, together with all relevant documents for submission to the Secretary of State for examination.

Votes were recorded as follows:

For the motion

Councillors Ball, Berry, Bradley, Brown, Cronshaw, Crow, Dunn, Edgerley, Finnamore, France, A Gee, D Gee, Holgate, Khan, Lees, A Lowe, M Lowe, Murfitt, Murray, Phipps, Rogerson, K Snape, Walmsley, Wilson and the Mayor, Councillor Molyneaux.

Against the motion

Councillors Bell, Caunce, Cullens, Dalton, David Dickinson, Goldsworthy, Gray, Hansford, Iddon, Joyce, Leadbetter, Morgan, Muncaster, Perks, Platt, G Russell,

R Russell, J Walker.