Agenda and minutes

At this point in the meeting, Members are asked to declare:

·        any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests

·        any prejudicial interests or

·        any disclosable pecuniary interests

which they may have in respect of business on this agenda.

At this point in the meeting, members were asked to declare any personal, prejudicial or pecuniary interests they may have in the business on the agenda. None were declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting of the Local Plan Working Group held on 31^st March 2014.

Resolved:           That the minutes of the last Local Plan Working Group held on 31^st March 2014 be approved and signed by the Chair subject to the following amendments:

Detailed Comments -  9^th bullet point be amended to read ‘Grate and service covers should be level with the carriageway. Grates should be laid perpendicular to the direction of travel to ensure cyclist safety.

20^th bullet point be amended to read ‘Cycling signage; prior to the removal of any cycle lane signs Officers to check with Police as to their legal necessity.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who have registered their wish to speak, regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the remit of the Working Group, may do so.  The deadline for registering is 5.00 pm on Wednesday 16^th April 2014 .

Filming or Recording Meetings

Please note this meeting will be filmed and webcast and that includes any registered public speakers, who have given their permission.  This broadcast can be viewed at http://www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

Residents are welcome to photograph, film or record Councillors and Officers at all meetings open to the press and public. This includes the use of social media reporting, i.e. tweeting.  Anyone wishing to film, record or take photos at any public meeting should contact the Democracy Officer (whose contact details are at the foot of this agenda) in advance of the meeting.

The Council’s protocol on Webcasting, Filming & Recording of Meetings ensures that these practices are carried out in a manner both respectful to the conduct of the meeting and all those present.  It can be viewed at http://www.york.gov.uk/downloads/download/3130/protocol_for_webcasting_filming_and_recording_of_council_meetings

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak under the Councils’ Public Participation Scheme. There had been 7 registrations to speak on agenda item 4 ‘City of York Local Plan Further Sites Consultation’ as follows:

Professor Alan Bramley advised that he had some concerns regarding sites 219 and 247 and asked that these be set aside from the consultation as he believed there to be factual errors relating to these sites. In particular, the number of hectares for site 219,  and the historic character and tree protection order issues for site 247.  He advised that he would speak to Officers after the meeting to give them further details.

Mr Peter Heptinstall spoke to object to the possible use of land at The Stables, Elvington, as a Travelling Show Peoples site. He stated that the land was Green Belt and should not be used as residential or employment use. He also queried if an assessment on the historic setting had been carried out as the land had been retained as part of the setting of the area and any use would destroy the character.

Alan Cawthorne had registered to speak in relation to the Boroughbridge Road area. He advised that while it was clear that each individual site had been carefully assessed, he had concerns about the cumulative impact of a number of sites in what is a small area of York, particularly in relation to the impact on schools and highways.

Steven Patten advised that he was the resident of Knowle Cottage which borders the Old Vinery (site 733). He stated that in isolation the Old Vinery is a small site but it offered a haven for wildlife. In addition he advised that the woodland is a feature of the skyline in the area and should remain. He asked that tree preservation orders be placed on the site to protect it before it is too late.

Nick Holmes spoke as the resident of the Knoll which also borders the Old Vinery site. He advised that he was disappointed that he had learnt about the inclusion of the site in the Local Plan via the York Press. He queried if officers knew of a covenant on the site which had been signed in 1998 which could prevent any building on the site.

Mandy Barker had registered to speak in relation to sites in the Boroughbridge Road area, in particular the RAF houses site. She advised that her family had lived in the area for a long time and had seen many changes which had impacted on schools, roads and other services such as GP’s. She was pleased to note that green space had been given careful consideration and asked that all the sites in the Boroughbridge Road area be considered as a whole.

Jennifer Hubbard, Planning Consultant, spoke to advise that she had noted a number of inconsistencies in the documents that should be resolved as part of the consultation process. She confirmed she would be happy  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

The purpose of this report is to inform Members of on going work relating to potential Local Plan allocations. The report seeks permission to undertake public consultation on potential new sites and boundary changes on some of the sites originally identified. These are included in the proposed consultation document – City of York Local Plan – Further Sites Consultation (attached at Annex A to the report).

Members considered a report which informed them of ongoing work relating to potential Local Plan allocations and sought permission to undertake public consultation on potential new sites and boundary changes on some of the sites originally identified. The proposed consultation document was attached at Annex A.

The consultation would inform future recommendations on the portfolio of sites for inclusion in the publication draft Local Plan. This document would be subject to public consultation later in the year before being submitted to the Secretary of State for public examination.

Officers outlined the report and advised that legally the Council has to identify all sites for the plans 15 year period. Following the Local Plan Preferred Options consultation between June and July 2013, 5000 responses had been received and work on those responses had now been completed and the information uploaded to the Councils website. During the Preferred Options consultation, further information on sites was received from landowners and developers. This included the submission of new sites and further evidence on existing sites. All sites put forward were evaluated and where it was felt that sites had potential, these are included at Annex A to this report. No final decision on sites has been made at this stage and Officers are seeking permission to go out to consultation.

In terms of the comments raised by the registered speakers, Officers advised that observations on inaccuracies were welcomed. In relation to the cumulative impact on the  A59 area, any comments were welcome and it was confirmed that in relation to pressure on services and infrastructure, Officers would work in conjunction with Education and Highways Officers for the final draft of the Local Plan.

Officers outlined three technical updates to the report which were circulated to Members at the meeting. The first related to a map error on the front sheet of technical annex 2 page 157 – site 779 Land at Boroughbridge Road. The Land should be shown as falling within an area retaining rural setting as designated in the 2013 update to the Historic Character and Setting Technical Paper. The approach to the site in terms of analysis would remain the same as the site provided additional supporting evidence through the Local Plan Preferred Options Consultation and the site was re-assessed through Technical Officer Panel. The second update related to a map error on page 48 of the agenda pack (Site 11 Land at New Lane, Huntington). The map required an amendment to reflect the correct map in Technical Appendix 5 (page 24) to include the Site of Local Interest (SLI) in the South East corner of the site. This reflected the approach taken in the Local Plan Preferred Options. The final amendment was an error in the title on page 70 of the agenda paper. The name should read ‘Chowdene, Malton Road’.

An addendum on the addressing of the shortfall of sites for Gypsies, Roma and Travellers had been circulated to Members ahead of the meeting (attached to the online  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

Officers advised Members on the release of the Local Plan Preferred Options responses information which has been published on the Council’s website with confidential information redacted.

The responses can be viewed in summary by section and policy but can also be viewed in full.

The information can be found by following a link on the main Local Plan page on the Council’s website.

Resolved:           That Members noted the update on the preferred options responses information.

Reason:              To keep Members informed on progress made in publishing the preferred options information.