Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of Planning and Regulatory Services (copy enclosed).

The Committee received the report of the Director of Planning and Regulatory Services providing an update on the Essex Coastal Recreational Avoidance and Mitigation Strategy (RAMS) and seeking Members’ views on matters which may affect future planning policies and procedures.

The report provided background information regarding the RAMS which was a joint initiative between 11 Essex authorities to identify the recreational impacts new homes would have on the international and nationally protected sites along the Essex Coast.  These sites were set out within the report.

Members noted the progress to date, as outlined in the report, and Appendix 1 to the report set out the revised timetable and identified key milestones.  The project was moving towards the end of the evidence gathering stage with second stakeholder workshops due to take place.  The outputs from the first stakeholder workshops were set out in Appendix 2 to the report. 

Following a request at the last meeting of this Committee for a Members’ Forum to ensure Members from participating authorities had the opportunity to engage in the RAMS process.  The draft Terms of Reference and governance structure for this Forum were attached as Appendix 3 to the report.

The Chairman welcomed Mr Graham Thomas, in his capacity as the Chairman of the Essex Planning Officers Association, who were sponsoring the RAMS project.

Members raised a number of points which are detailed below along with additional information provided by Officers:

·                 The information detailed in Appendix 2 to the report was the notes of stakeholder workshops and not Officer proposals.  The Director of Planning and Regulatory Services agreed to feed back to the Steering Group that there was a need to ensure that any such notes were accurate.

·                 Clarification was sought on the ‘spreading room’ referred to in the appendix.

·                 Reference was made to whether Northey Island would be included in the National England changes to pathways.

·                 Osea Island – although there was public access to the island below the high water mark it was felt that the shingle above the high water mark could be a very important nesting site for wild birds.

·                 It was commented that it would be beneficial to receive a summary of the information in respect of the Blackwater Estuary summer and winter surveys.

·                 Summer Survey – Concern was raised that the survey points were some distance from critical disturbance points.

·                 Members’ Forum – It was questioned who the decision making body would be in respect of this.

·                 Further questions were raised regarding approval of mitigation measures, how monies were to be spent and the process for collecting and spending in other authorities.  In response the Chairman advised that she understood the decision making process would come back to this Authority and any Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) would have be agreed by the Council.  Mr Thomas informed Members that in respect of the decision process the SPD (one document owned across the 11 Local Authorities) would respond to the draft Strategy and the proposed Member Forum would assist in this process.

·                 It was noted that the date relating to the drafting of the RAMS mitigation as detailed in the report should refer to 21 June 2018.

·                 In response to a question regarding the options regarding mitigation, habitat creation etc., Mr Thomas advised that this would come about as the technical work progressed and that locations would be variable in terms of mitigation packages.

The Chairman thanked Mr Thomas for attending the meeting.

RESOLVED

(i)        that the Recreational Avoidance and Mitigation Strategy (RAMS) update outlined in the report be noted;

(ii)       that the comments raised by the Committee are noted and taken forward by Officers, where appropriate.