Democracy | Prosperity Cabinet Member – Minutes

Prosperity Cabinet Member – Minutes – 7 August 2019

2 GOXHILL NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN – DESIGNATION OF NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA – The Director: Business Development submitted a report informing the Cabinet Member of the outcome of the six week consultation into Goxhill Parish Council’s application to have their area formally designated for the purpose of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan, and seeking approval for the designation and its publication.

The Localism Act 2011 introduced new opportunities for local communities to get involved in planning their areas by preparing neighbourhood plans, neighbourhood development orders, and community right to build orders. The Act and associated neighbourhood planning regulations gave town/parish councils and neighbourhood forums powers to shape and encourage the delivery of new development.

The local planning authority was under a duty to support and obliged by law to help people draw up their neighbourhood plans. The council had proactively assisted Goxhill Parish Council and members of the local community. A well-attended Visioning Day was held in January 2019 to gauge local interest for a plan. This would provide evidence to feed into the Goxhill Neighbourhood Plan as it moved forward, following designation.

Before town/parish councils or neighbourhood forums could begin the work of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan they must apply to have the area they wish the plan to cover to be formally designated.

The council was responsible for receiving and determining applications for the designation of a neighbourhood area. The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 prescribed time limits for the determination of a neighbourhood area application. They required the council to advertise the application for a consultation period of not less than six weeks. All representations received must then be considered and a recommendation made to either designate or to not designate the neighbourhood area.

Goxhill Parish Council wished to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan and submitted an application on 11 October 2018 to have its area formally designated for this purpose. The application was published and publicised for the required six-week period to allow comments to be made. The six-week period ran until 19 April 2019. The report gave details of responses received.

Resolved – (a) That the report be noted, and (b) that Option 1, to formally designate the Goxhill Neighbourhood Area and publicise the designation, be approved.

3 WINTERINGHAM NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN – APPLICATION FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD AREA STATUS – The Director: Business Development submitted a report informing the Cabinet Member that Winteringham Parish Council had applied to have its area formally designated for the purpose of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan, and seeking approval to advertise and consult on the parish council’s application for neighbourhood area status.

Before town/parish councils or neighbourhood forums could begin the work of preparing a Neighbourhood Plan they must apply to have the area they wish the plan to cover to be formally designated.

The council was responsible for receiving and determining applications for the designation of a neighbourhood area. The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) prescribed time limits for the determination of a neighbourhood area application. They required the council to advertise the application for a consultation period of not less than six weeks.

Winteringham Parish Council wished to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan for its area. An application to have the area formally designated was submitted on 23 May 2019. The Parish Council felt that the whole parish boundary was an appropriate neighbourhood area because it included all of the residential and commercial areas that could feed into a plan. The council now needed to consult with the community and others on the application as set out in Appendix 1 to the report and a map showing the extent of the area at Appendix 2 to the report.

Once the application for designation was publicised and comments invited a decision must be issued within 13 weeks. Thereafter, the council was required to publicise the designation. If the council failed to determine the application within 13 weeks it must designate the area as a neighbourhood area.

Resolved – (a) That the contents of the report be noted; (b) that Winteringham Parish Council’s application for neighbourhood area status be advertised, and (c) that a six-week public consultation on the application be undertaken.