Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Director of Strategy, Performance and Governance (copy enclosed).

The Council considered the report of the Director of Strategy, Performance and Governance that provided background information and advice to enable the Council to consider the approved recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee concerning the Maldon District Local Development Plan (LDP) Review methodology and the extent to which the Plan should be reviewed.

The Chairman introduced the item and deferred to the Leader of the Council to present the report. She advised that the report was a result of a recommendation from Overview and Scrutiny Committee at the last Council meeting to review the methodology in terms of the Local Development Plan (LDP). She drew Members’ attention to the recommendations in the report and in particular the two options contained in Section 7. She then called on the Director of Strategy Performance and Governance to comment. He reiterated that this was a result of a request from Members and he hoped that the detailed information, together with the presentation, would provide reassurance and understanding of the methodology as further delays to the LDP work would place the Council at risk. He suggested that the debate should focus on the methodology and not individual sites and called on the Lead Specialist-Planning Policy & Implementation for her presentation. 

Following the Officer’s presentation a debate ensued which largely centred around the need for extensive member engagement in the LDP process, the role of the Planning Policy Working Group and the work required around the seven options.

In response to issues raised Officers provided the following information:-

• That the Approval to Consult on LDP Review – Issues and Options report, including the seven options, had been submitted to Full Council in both November and December 2021. Subsequent to the meeting it was confirmed that due to disruption and subsequent cancellation of Council in both November and December 2021 the Approval to Consult on LDP Review - Issues and Options report was approved following emergency powers on 23/12/2021 in accordance with the constitution.

• That all Councils were required to review Local Plans and Statements of Community Involvement at least every 5 years and the work undertaken to date on the call for sites was merely bringing the Council up-to-date, as no review of this work had been undertaken since 2012.

• That the acknowledgement email to developers did not allocate their site or give planning permission. Allocation decisions will only be made once the seven options have been honed down and following substantial work including transport modelling and Members will make the final decisions.

Councillor Lagan proposed that recommendation (ii) Section 7 Option 1 be explicit in respect of full Member engagement workshops to provide input and a collaborative approach to reflect the input of Members in shaping the plan. This was seconded by Councillor Stamp.

At this point the Chairman called for an adjournment to clarify the detail of the proposal.