Agenda item

The Executive Member will consider a report which will inform him of the main modifications required to be made to the Minerals and Waste Joint Plan following Submission toSecretary of State and the associated Hearing Sessions held during Spring 2018 and January 2019. The report also provides information on the main modifications public consultation taking place for 8 weeks between Wednesday 21^st July and 5pm on Wednesday 15^th September 2021, in accordance with the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.

Resolved:

i.             That the Main Modifications to the Minerals and Waste Joint Plan and subsequent period of public consultation are endorsed.

Reason: To inform interested parties of the Minerals and Waste Join Plan main modifications and associated public consultation.

The Executive Member considered a report which informed him of the main modifications required to be made to the Minerals and

Waste Joint Plan following Submission to Secretary of State and the associated Hearing Sessions held during Spring 2018 and January 2019. The report also provided information on the main modifications public consultation taking place for 8 weeks between Wednesday 21st July and 5pm on Wednesday 15th September 2021, in accordance with the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. The Development Officer was in attendance to present the report and respond to questions.

Key points raised during the presentation of the report included:

·        That the Minerals and Waste Joint Plan had been produced jointly by the City of York Council, North Yorkshire County Council and North Yorkshire Moors National Park Authority.

·        That the key main modifications were required due to:

-      National Planning Policy Framework Paragraph 209a had been quashed following a High Court challenge by Talk Fracking.

-      A moratorium issued by the Government in November 2019, which ordered a presumption against issuing any hydraulic fracturing consents until more evidence is gathered on seismic activity.

-      The joint authorities had undertaken work in terms of the Habitats Regulation Assessment on the Joint Plan in response to a decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union which led to a reassessment of a series of sites, although none of these were in the City of York area, but were in the North Yorkshire County Council authority area.

-      Statutory consultations with the Environment Agency and Natural England.

·        That the full schedule of the main modifications were set out at Annex A of the report, but the modifications most pertinent to the City of York were:

-      Policy M16 and M17 which relate to hydrocarbons.

-      Additional references in relation to climate change, the green belt and York’s historic heritage and setting.

-      Additional review/monitoring of the plan.

-      The retention of the challenged 500m buffer zone around sensitive receptors.

·        That the 8 week Main Modification Consultation Stage was underway, which began Wednesday 21 July 2021 and will end on Wednesday 15 September 2021. A poster explaining the consultation had been posted in all York libraries and a press release had been released to local papers. Letters and emails to consultees on the Local Plan database had been sent out, as well as information on social media. Paper copies were available in principal offices of City of York Council, North Yorkshire County Council and the North Yorkshire Moors National Park Authority.

·        That the results of the consultation will be sent to the Inspector, whose report will be passed to the Local Plan Working Group, Executive and Full Council for consideration.

The Executive Members stated that:

·        He thanked officers for their report and presentation.

·        The Government’s moratorium of November 2019 in relation to fracking could easily be reversed, so it was important to raise awareness of the Minerals and Waste Joint Plan.

·        He was grateful for the effort which went into proving and confirming the 500m buffer zone around sensitive receptors.

·        He acknowledged the work done to raise issues of climate change around the issue of fracking.

·        Potential seismic activity would pose a danger to historic buildings in York which were not built with significant foundation.

·        He recognised the importance of collecting the opinions of York residents, and encouraged completion of the consultation.

Resolved:

i.             That the Main Modifications to the Minerals and Waste Joint Plan and subsequent period of public consultation are endorsed.

Reason: To inform interested parties of the Minerals and Waste Join Plan main modifications and associated public consultation.