1. Introduction

1.1 This Consultation Statement sets out the consultation that the Council has undertaken in the preparation of the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI).

1.2 Consulting on a SCI is not a statutory requirement. However, the Council believed it was important to consult on the document given that the previous update was made in response to temporary Covid restrictions. Further, government consultation on the implementation of plan-making reforms changes the focus and emphasis of the planning system, removing SPDs and including new Supplementary Plans within the scope of plan-making, along with other significant changes to the plan-making process. Consultation on the SCI also allows the development of a contact database for planning matters. In line with our privacy notices, we can only use the details relevant to the matters people have previously registered an interest in. This will need to be updated in the context of plan-making under the new Planning system to ensure we contact those who continue to be interested in the process or are up-to-date contacts for our statutory consultees.

1.3 This Consultation Statement was prepared in accordance with regulation 12(a) of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 to support the adoption of the Council’s SCI. The SCI outlines how the council will work with local communities and stakeholders in developing planning policy documents.

1.4 In accordance with the Regulations, the Consultation Statement sets out:

• who was consulted during the preparation of the SCI

• how they were consulted

• a summary of the main issues raised during the consultation

• how those issues have been taken into account in the SCI.

1.5 The consultation draft SCI was consulted on for a period of 8 weeks from the 15 October to the 10 December 2025. This Consultation Statement will be published alongside the SCI as part of its formal adoption.

2. Background

2.1 The Council’s original SCI was adopted in December 2007, the first document to be produced as part of the Local Development Framework. The 2007 document set out the methodology and key principles on how the Council intended to consult on the Local Development Framework suite of documents. Similarly, it also set out the methodology and key principles for consultation on planning applications and the Development Management process.

2.2 The Council published an SCI update in November 2020 in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and updated guidance from the Government regarding planning matters and consultation. This was appended to the SCI 2007 to ensure it was read in conjunction with the previous arrangements.

2.3 For plan-making, changes have been made in order to reflect the contemporary process of plan making and to clarify when and how formal consultation will take plan in preparing plans.

2.4 The revised SCI covers:

• Plan-making for the Local Plan, Minerals & Waste Plan and Neighbourhood Plans;

• Supplementary Plans

• Community Infrastructure Levy; and

• Development Management process for planning applications.

3. Process of Consultation

3.1 Formal public consultation on the draft SCI took place between 15 October and 10 December 2025. The consultation was available on-line through the Council’s consultation webpage and webform, and comments could also be submitted by e-mail and post.

3.2 In compliance with the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012, the following actions were undertaken:

• The draft SCI was published on the council’s website and made available at the Council’s West Offices reception.

• Details of the consultation and details of how to respond were posted on the council’s website.

• Specific consultees, including Natural England, Historic England, the Environment Agency and Highways England, neighbouring authorities, Councillors and parish councils were sent an email informing them of the opportunity to comment and details of the web page and where to find more information.

• Other organisations and private individuals forming part of the Council’s Developer Engagement group were contacted directly by e-mail with details about the consultation, where to view the document and how to comment.

4. Main issues raised and the Council’s response

4.1 Responses were received from 5 consultees, a summary of which is set out below along with the Council’s response.

Consultee	Comment	CYC response
Historic England	No comment	n/a
Natural England	No comment	n/a
CYC Officer	Would support the reintroduction of some text from the current SCI where this relates to encouraging best practice on pre-application involvement.	Agree. Additional text drafted to support the section on ‘Pre-application consultation by applicants/agents’, to better explain what is considered best practice.
CYC Officer	Suggests amending process diagram (page 17) to include: - An additional pre-app consultation stage (ref para 4.4) ahead of the application being submitted. See pages 31-33 of current SCI. - Clarification that the LPA undertake Publicity and Consultation stage (ref para 4.9)	Agree and actioned.
Wheldrake PC	Would welcome a clearer explanation of how engagement will be resourced following the removal of government financial support for Neighbourhood Planning. How will the Council mitigate these challenges?	Early stages of neighbourhood plan making are the responsibility of the Parish Council; later stages of engagement, which fall under the responsibility of the Council are defined in the SCI.
Wheldrake PC	Paras 2.3-2.7 could be strengthened by confirming how non-digital engagement will be maintained.	No change. While the general shift to digital planning is a clear part of the government's agenda for Planning, we will always offer alternative methods of consultation to enable people to engage. The broad range of methods is set out in the SCI, and the Council is committed to providing a tailored Consultation Strategy at each stage of consultation.
Wheldrake PC	The SCI outlines the statutory stages of neighbourhood plan preparation accurately. The SCI could demonstrate good practice by committing the Council to provide limited officer support or to signpost alternative funding sources to ensure community-led planning remains feasible.	The SCI identifies the appropriate stages where the Council will provide support. Outside these stages, the Council provides limited support as required by the circumstances of the Parish Council.
Wheldrake PC	The SCI appropriately sets out consultation expectations for SPDs but could clarify how community input will be sought where topics have cross-cutting impacts (e.g., heritage, design, or climate). Parish councils could be invited to participate more actively during the preliminary consultation stage.	No change. SPDs no longer being produced under the new Planning system. The structure of Local Plan and limited Supplementary Plans, each one subject to a formal process of plan-making, including examination, will enable early and ongoing participation from Parish Councils.
Wheldrake PC	The SCI’s provisions for pre-application engagement (paragraphs 4.3–4.5) are positive but could be improved by encouraging developers to engage with parish councils early in the process. The SCI might also outline how the Council will monitor or report on developer-led consultation to ensure that community feedback is genuinely considered.	See response above re strengthening the SCI’s description of best practice community engagement in the planning application process, which includes early contact with Parish Councils. Consultation undertaken by a developer as part of the planning process should be submitted in support of the Planning Application and reported on by the Planning Officer in determining the application.
Wheldrake PC	It would be helpful for the SCI to explain how CIL funds are prioritised and how local communities, including parish councils, can participate in identifying funding priorities.	This is outside the remit of the SCI but will form part of forthcoming work around CIL spending profiles.
CYC Officer	Regulations do not require consultation on an application to designate a neighbourhood plan area where it applies to the whole Parish area.	Agree. The stages of consultation for Neighbourhood Planning have been updated to clarify that, where the Parish boundary matches the proposed neighbourhood plan area boundary, no consultation is required and the Council must ratify the application.

5. Next steps

5.1 Following the close of the SCI consultation, all responses were considered, and the Council responses were set out. Where required, amendments to the SCI were made.

5.2 The Council will consider the adoption of the SCI at Executive committee.

5.3 Following adoption, the Council will publish the SCI, along with this Consultation Statement and appendices, on the Council’s website.