Agenda and minutes

At this point, Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda.

Members were asked to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda.

No interests were declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meetings of the Local Development Framework Working Group held on 10 July, 18 July and 24 July 2007.

RESOLVED :That the minutes of the meetings of the Local Development Framework Working Group held on 10 July, 18 July and 24 July 2007 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

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 Monday 12 November 2007.

It was reported that there was one registration to speak under the council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Representations were received from a representative of the Campaign for Protection of Rural England (CPRE) regarding Agenda Item 5 City of York Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment – Phase 1 (minute 25 refers).

He spoke regarding the changes that had taken place in Strensall in terms of the increase in population and the number of new homes built, and his concerns regarding land use in Strensall. He stated that any additional housing would increase the carbon footprint of the village, and similar problems would exist for Haxby and Wigginton.

The purpose of this report is to inform Members of the findings of the Inspector who examined York’s Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) and to make them aware of the formal procedures for adopting the SCI.  The intention, subject to Full Council approval is for the SCI to be adopted on 29 November 2007.

Members considered a report which informed them of the findings of the Inspector who examined York’s Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), and informed them of the formal procedures for adopting the SCI. The intention, subject to approval by Full Council on 29 November 2007, is for the SCI to be adopted from this date.

The SCI is the first document to be produced as part of York’s Local Development Framework (LDF). The standards set out in the SCI will inform the Council’s approach to involving the community in the production of future LDF documents, such as the Core Strategy and Area Action Plans. The SCI also outlines the process for dealing with planning applications and indicates how and when people can get involved and give their views.

The report detailed the 3 main stages of production of the SCI, and the nine Tests of Soundness used by the Inspector to consider the document. The Inspectors report was attached as Annex A to the report. A summary of the key points were as follows :

• In the Resources section refer to working closely with the Local Strategic Partnership and other groups linked to the Community Strategy;
• Add further bodies to Annex 1, and include a statement that the list is not exhaustive;
• Include further information on the process regarding consideration of representations which put forward alternative site allocations; and
• Insert additional text to the planning applications section and Annex 4 stating that certain bodies such as Natural England will be allowed a longer period to comment on applications where this is prescribed by legislation.

Members raised the issue of including Planning Panels as consultees as well as Parish Councils.

RESOLVED :            That the report be noted.

REASON :                 To inform Members.

This report presents the findings from phase 1 of the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) and seeks approval to publish phase 1 of the SHLAA as part of the Local Development Framework Evidence Base.

Note: The agenda was re-published on-line on 6 November 2007 to include the full draft SHLAA Phase I report.  Hard copies of this additional document have been supplied separately to Members and to recipients of printed copies of the agenda.

Members considered a report which presented them with the findings from phase 1 of the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA). The assessment would identify as many sites with housing potential in the City of York area as possible. As a minimum the assessment was required to identify sufficient specific sites for at least the first ten years of the plan, from the anticipated date of its adoption, and ideally for longer than the whole 15 year plan period. This would allow the council to consider options for accommodating new housing for the plan period. The assessment is an important evidence source to inform plan making, but does not in itself determine whether a site should be allocated for housing. The Core Strategy document would need to then consider whether a change in policy approach, from current Local Plan policies, would have to take place in order to deliver York’s housing target.

Members received a presentation which covered the following areas :

·        Aims/Purpose of the SHLAA

·        National Guidance

·        Planning Policy Statement 3 – Housing

·        Role of the SHLAA in the Core strategy and the allocations Development Plan Document

·        Phasing of the SHLAA – two phases

·        Phase 1 – assessment of sites

·        Estimating Housing potential of identified sites

·        Existing housing density in York

·        Typical Urban areas

·        Density ranges for each Typical Urban Area

·        National Exemplars – Building for Life Standards

·        Sustainability

·        Density ranges for identified sites

·        Unconstrained Indicative Housing Supply from Phase 1

·        Next Steps

Members made the following comments :

·        The density ranges need to be made clearer

·        The transparency of the 66/34 breakdown between housing and flats and reference to the Strategic Housing Market Assessment

·        To ensure that the document is in a “plain English” format

·        That the methodology and figures need to be checked relating to the average density and dwellings per hectare

·        That examples of good sites and CABE sites in the local area be included

·        That open space needs to be practicably useful open space

·        That ward boundaries need to be checked

·        Clarity needed on what “Green Belt” means 

·        Consider issues of buffer zones around nature designations

·        Strays – need to be added as primary constraints

·        Provide more clarity on York Northwest

RESOLVED :That Members comments as detailed above be taken into account and an amended version of this document be brought back to the meeting of this Working Group on 18 December 2007 for consideration by Members.

REASON :                 To enable Members comments to be incorporated in the document.