northlincs.gov.uk

Chairman: Councillor Wardle
Venue: Function Room 1, Pittwood House, Scunthorpe
Time: 2pm

AGENDA

1. Substitutions.

2. Declarations of Personal or Personal and Prejudicial Interests.

3. North Lincolnshire Local Development Framework – Draft Local Development Scheme.

4. Good Practice Guide for members and officers dealing with planning applications and related matters – joint report of Head of Planning and Regeneration and Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

5. Any other items, which the chairman decides are urgent, by reasons of special circumstances which must be specified.

Notes: Reports are by the Head of Planning and Regeneration unless otherwise stated.

Minutes

PRESENT: – Councillor Wardle in the chair.

Councillors Long (vice-chairman), Bunyan, Eckhardt, England, Fordham, Glover, Grant, Kirk, Waldron and Whiteley.

Councillor Mrs Bromby attended the meeting in accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rule 37 (b).

The committee met at Pittwood House, Scunthorpe.

DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL AND PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL PERSONAL INTERESTS–There were no declarations of personal interest.

656 (75) NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK DRAFT LOCAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME – Further to Minute 575, the Head of Planning and Regeneration submitted a report seeking approval of the Local Development Scheme (LDS) prior to submission to the First Secretary of State (Government Office for Yorkshire and Humber).

The Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 required local planning authorities to prepare a Local Development Framework (LDF) to replace their existing Local Plans. The LDF would comprise a folder of documents known as Local Development Documents (LDDs), which would deliver the spatial planning policy for North Lincolnshire.

As part of the LDF process, local planning authorities were required to prepare a LDS, a project plan outlining which LDDs would be prepared and the key stages in their preparation especially when the community and key stakeholders could become involved in the process. The Act required the Council to have an LDS submitted to Government office by 31 March 2005

Following the sending of the draft LDS to the Government Office and to stakeholders, comments had been received from Government Office for Yorkshire and Humber and from the town and parish councils. In the light of these comments and the issuing of the finalised Planning Policy Statement (PPS) 12: Local Development Frameworks (ODPM, 2004) and additional good practice advice, Creating Local Development Frameworks – A Companion Guide to PPS12 (OPDM, 2004), the initial Draft LDS had been amended. A copy of the amended Draft LDS was attached to the report. This was to be the subject of a further meeting with Government Office for Yorkshire and Humber on 5 January 2005.

Resolved – (a) That the draft Local Development Scheme be approved subject to amendments following further comments from Government Office for Yorkshire and Humber, and (b) that any amendments proposed as result of the meeting with Government Office for Yorkshire and Humber be approved by the Head of Planning & Regeneration Service in consultation with Chairman of the Planning Committee and the Environment and Transportation Cabinet Member.

657 (76) GOOD PRACTICE GUIDE FOR MEMBERS AND OFFICERS DEALING WITH PLANNING APPLICATIONS AND RELATED MATTERS – The Head of Legal and Democratic Services and the Head of Planning and Regeneration submitted a joint report inviting the committee to consider proposed amendments to the “Code of Practice for members and officers dealing with planning applications and related matters” in the light of revised guidance on such codes and the introduction of the Code of Conduct for members. The Code had been adopted in February 2000 in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (The Nolan Committee) and of the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Since the adoption of the Code of Practice, the national Code of Conduct for members had been introduced, along with the Standards Board. The Board had issued various advice on planning issues. Also the Local Government Association had issued advice in relation to the preparation of such codes.

A suggested revised Code (renamed a Good Practice Guide to avoid confusion with the Code of Conduct) was attached to the report. The amendments reflected the advice issued by the Standards Board and the LGA.

The original Code predated the establishment of the Standards Committee and it was suggested that, as that committee was concerned with issues of probity, it would be appropriate for it to consider the proposed amendments.

Resolved – That the Good Practice Guide appended to this report be agreed and be referred to the Standards Committee for consideration.