northlincs.gov.uk

PRESENT: – Councillor Wardle in the chair.

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

Councillor Rowson attended the meeting in accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rule 37 (b)

The committee met at Pittwood House, Scunthorpe.

745 DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL AND PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL PERSONAL INTERESTS – The following members declared personal interests.

746 (40) NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK – ANNUAL MONITORING REPORT – The Head of Planning and Regeneration submitted a report informing the committee about the Annual Monitoring Report 2005 and seeking approval to submit the report to the Government Office.

Councils were required to produce annual monitoring reports (AMRs) to show that local development frameworks (LDFs) were achieving their aims and delivering sustainable development. AMRs should highlight whether targets were being achieved and if priorities were right or if they should be changed to reflect latest development trends

It was a requirement that AMRs should be submitted to the Secretary of State through the relevant Government Office by the end of December 2005.

The draft AMR found that good progress was being on LDF work noting that an important milestone had been reached for the Statement of Community Involvement when it had been submitted to the Secretary of State in October. The AMR confirmed that all milestones set out in the Local Development Scheme had been met for 2005. As a result the Council was expected to attain maximum Planning Delivery Grant for its LDF work and meet its BVPI 200 indicator. The AMR set out a list of action to be undertaken over the next few years to enhance the council’s evidence bases and monitoring systems so as to benefit compilation of future AMRs and planning policy making.

Recommended to Council – (a) That the Annual Monitoring Report be endorsed subject to minor drafting changes to enable the Government Office deadline to be met, and (b) that the final version of the AMR be made available on the Council’s web site and on CD.

747 (41 ) NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK – E -CONSULTATION The Head of Planning and Regeneration submitted a report informing members about the use of the Limehouse system for conducting on-line public consultation and community involvement as part of the preparation of Local Development Documents.

The system , an online consultation and database system enabled documents to be published on the web site and for representations and comments on documents to be submitted on each section of it on-line. The representations were then stored in a database which would be analysed and responded to by officers.

The system would enable users and consultees including Town and Parish Councils to receive and respond to planning documents much faster. It would create Gershon savings as officer time would be saved by removing the need to input responses.

The system would be used initially for the six week consultation period on the submission Statement of Community Involvement following that document’s submission to the Secretary of State for independent examination.

Recommended to Council – (a) That the report be noted; (b) that t he Limehouse on-line consultation system be used during the preparation of future Local Development Documents, and (c) that Town and Parish Councils and key stakeholders be urged to use the on-line consultation service when making their representations on the Local Development Documents

748 (42) RETAIL STUDY OF NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE – The Head of Planning and Regeneration submitted a report informing the committee that a retail study for North Lincolnshire had now been completed and seeking approval of the Study as a supporting document to the local development framework and as a material consideration on retail planning application decisions.

The study had two main purposes. It provided much needed up to date retail information for work on the local development framework and made recommendations as to policy content. The study’s results would also help inform decision making on retail developments.

The study was to be placed on the council’s web site and CD versions were to be produced.

Recommended to Council – That the findings and recommendations of the study be endorsed.

749 (43) CONSULTATION RELATING TO THE AMENDMENT OF THE LOCAL ACCCESS FORUMS (ENGLAND) REGULATIONS 2002 – The Head of Planning and Regeneration submitted a report informing the committee of a consultation by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)and seeking approval of a response.

Local Access Forums had been set up throughout England by order of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. The North Lincolnshire Local Access Forum had been established in August 2003.

The Local Access Forums (England) Regulations 2002 governed key aspects of how local access forums were operated. In the light of the two years to have passed since local access forums had been set up, however, Defra was consulting widely on ways in which they now believed that those regulations might be improved.

Resolved – That the response appended as appendix 2 to the report be forwarded to Defra as the council’s formal opinion.

750 (44 ) CONSERVATION AREA APPRAISALS – APPLEBY, BARROW – UPON – HUMBER, NEW FRODINGHAM, OLD CROSBY AND WINTERTON – The Head of Planning and Regeneration submitted a report inviting the committee to recommend the adoption of Appraisals and Supplementary Planning Guidance, together with amendments to the boundaries of those areas and the making of Article 4 Directions to control alterations to properties in those areas.

A review of the council’s 17 Conservation Areas had been undertaken by external consultants and completed in May 2002. Draft Supplementary Guidance had been prepared for each area, comprising in each case of an appraisal of the area’s character and planning guidance.

The council had resolved to use the draft documents as interim policy statements for development control purposes.

Consultation had been undertaken in line with that carried out for the local plan.

The consultants undertaking the appraisals had also asked to review the boundaries of all Conservation Areas. They had concluded that there was a need to review the boundaries of all of the areas except Old Crosby. These were set out in the report

Article 4(2) Directions were proposed for the Winterton Conservation area and for the extensions to the. Appleby and Barrow -upon -Humber areas.

The Article 4(2) Directions were essential for Conservation Area management and aimed to retain important architectural features such as sliding sash and bay windows, traditional doors and surrounds, old brick facades, roofs with traditional pantiles, slates and chimneys, old walls and railings etc.

Copies of the Appraisals and Draft Supplementary Guidance had been sent to members of the committee and had been available on the council’s web site.

Resolved – (a) That, the Conservation Area Appraisals and Supplementary Planning Advice Documents for the Appleby, Barrow – upon – Humber, Frodingham, Old Crosby and Winterton Conservation Areas be adopted as Supplementary Planning Advice showing conformity with the provisions of the local plan and; (b) that these documents be used to inform the development process as it affects these Conservation Areas and as guidance documents for Town Planning Purposes; (c) that the actions for each Conservation Area as detailed in each Conservation Area Appraisal as summarised in Appendix 1 to the report be noted as contributing toward the positive management of the conservation areas concerned;(d) that the Conservation Area boundaries for the areas referred to in this report be amended as detailed in Appendix 1to the report and that (e) some minor works of alteration to residential properties be brought into planning control through the making of Article 4(2) Directions as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report so as to better preserve and enhance the character and appearance of those areas.