Issue - meetings

The Assistant Director of Planning & Public Protection to present a report which asks Members to consider a proposal for the preparation and service of a non-immediate Article 4 direction covering parts of the Heslington Conservation Area, taking into account the advice of the Local Plan Working Group, which will be made available at the meeting.

Resolved:  That officers be authorised to prepare and serve a non-immediate Article 4 Direction covering parts of the Heslington Conservation area, and to finalise the boundary of the area to be covered by the Direction in consultation with parish council representatives.

Reason:     It is considered expedient to proceed with this project due to the convincing justification for strengthening planning control in the area, local pressure to do so, and the availability of external funding and adequate resources.

The Conservation Officer presented a report which asked Members to consider a proposal to prepare and serve a non-immediate Article 4 direction covering parts of the Heslington Conservation Area. A map of the area to be covered was attached as Annex A to the report and a draft of the proposed Direction as Annex B.

Service of an Article 4 Direction for the area had been recommended by the Heslington Conservation Area Appraisal in 2009 and requested since 2015 by Heslington Parish Council, which had recently offered £3,000 to fund the preparation and implementation of a Direction.  Of this, £2,000 would come from ward funding, £500 from the parish council and £500 from Heslington Village Trust.

The matter had been considered by the Local Plan Working Group (LPWG) at their meeting on 21 August.  LPWG had recommended that Executive approve the proposals and asked officers to provide further information in relation to enforcement costs and mitigation of restrictions on the installation of solar panels.  This information had been circulated to Executive Members, along with the minutes of the LPWG meeting, and was reported at the meeting.  Officers also indicated that the final boundary of the Direction was still subject to discussions with parish council representatives, but that the area to be covered would not exceed that shown on Annex A.

Resolved:  That officers be authorised to prepare and serve a non-immediate Article 4 Direction covering parts of the Heslington Conservation area, and to finalise the boundary of the area covered by the Direction in consultation with parish council representatives.

Reason:     It is considered expedient to proceed with this project due to the convincing justification for strengthening planning control in the area, local pressure to do so, and the availability of external funding and adequate resources.