14 August 2018 – Agenda
SUMMONS TO ATTEND A MEETING OF
NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN CONTINUITY COMMITTEE
TO: All Members of the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee
Cllrs B Austin (Chairman), D Bretherton (Deputy Chairman), P Cowell, D Dodds, M Dyer, H Fickling, C Jones, P Lambert and M Stiles
Ex Officio (Voting) Members – A Midwinter (Town Mayor) and L Emery (Deputy Mayor)
To: All other Members for information
VENUE: Upper Chamber, Thame Town Hall
DATE: Tuesday 14 August 2018
TIME: On the rising of the Planning & Environment Committee and not before 7pm
Graham Hunt
Clerk of the Council
Date: 8 August 2018
AGENDA
1. Apologies for Absence
2. Declarations of Interest and Dispensations
To notify of any items that appear in the agenda in which there may be an interest that has not been recorded in the Member’s Register of Interest; and confirmation of any relevant dispensations.
3. Public Participation and Public Questions
To consider applications from members of the public to address the Committee (5 minutes maximum), in respect of any item of business included in the agenda. Applications to speak must have been received by the Town Clerk no later than 5pm on the last working day preceding the meeting.
To consider questions from members of the public (who live, work or run a business in the Parish). Written questions must have been received by the Town Clerk no later than 4pm on the last working day preceding the meeting.
4. Minutes
To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Committee Meetings held on 3 July 2018.
5. Working Groups
To receive a report / update from the chairmen of:
a) The NPCC Co-Ordination Working Group
b) The Infrastructure Delivery Plan Working Group
c) The Green Living Plan Working Group
d) The Town Centre Working Group
5d. Market Town Co-Ordinator Update – 14-08-18
e) Transport Plan Working Group
f) The Community Facilities Working Group
g) The Burial Space Working Group
6. National Planning Policy Framework
To note the publication of the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 24 July 2018.
To note that to date, no response has been received to the letter sent to Dominic Raab MP, the Secretary of State for the Housing, Communities and Local Government ministry (MHCLG) as sent on 6 July 2018 (6a). Following the despatch of that letter from Thame Town Council, Dominic Raab MP was replaced by Kit Malthouse MP. The Town Clerk is preparing a further letter, following the publication of the revised NPPF on 24 July 2018, seeking absolute understanding of the lifespan of a Neighbourhood Plan.
To consider any relevant comments by the Committee.
6a. Letter to Dominic Raab – 06-07-18 – signed
7. South Oxfordshire District Local Plan
To note that South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) has published an amended Local Development Scheme (LDS, a timetable for producing their Local Plan) (7a). This was presented at Cabinet on 2 August 2018. SODC had asked MHCLG for an extension to the Growth Board deadline to enable them to submit their plan in January 2020. The new LDS indicates SODC wish to consult on a revised Pre-Submission Local Plan in January 2019, with submission to Government, intended by the end of March 2019. This is an ambitious schedule. Adoption of the Local Plan is expected within November 2019, although this will slip into 2020 should main modifications be required by the Inspector.
SODC’s report to Cabinet confirms the Planning Advisory Service and the Planning Inspectorate have both now assisted the District Council in producing their revised methodology for establishing an alternative site to Chalgrove, should it prove necessary. There is now a shortlist of sites that will be included in the update of the District’s evidence base. No site that has recently emerged has been put forward.
To note that Homes England now has a consultation website for their Chalgrove scheme. This outlines the masterplan and key proposals and provides some ideas for how matters such as transport and flood risk would be handled. Homes England are running a consultation on the proposals. The consultation asks what is important to people. Members should note that the 36 questions are styled in order to capture the intensity of feeling about each proposed development option in turn, with only one free text box. The consultation does not appear to have a closing date.
To consider any relevant comments by the Committee.
7a. 2018-07-26 Parish and Town Council letter prior to Cabinet
8. Thame Neighbourhood Plan Revision
To note that BOC has contacted the Town Council (8a), requesting to be kept informed about the Thame Neighbourhood Plan review process and associated consultation events. BOC is particularly concerned about residential allocations being sited near their facility, which could curtail their operations through noise concerns. The Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer (NPCO) has sent a response stating BOC’s interests have been noted, and that the Town Council always acts to prevent significant harm to employment land and floorspace.
To note that the Town Clerk and the NPCO met with the Haddenham Parish Clerk, Sue Gilbert, and the Chair, David Truesdale on 4 July 2018. Matters discussed included our respective District Councils, and where they are in terms of adoption and plan review; the need to keep each other informed of change; approaches to be taken for respective neighbourhood plan reviews; traffic management matters.
To note that a number of local and relevant planning appeals have been reported, including:
* SODC realised they erred in refusing a scheme against officer’s advice in Crowmarsh Gifford for 150 homes. They agreed to withdraw from the appeal, 10 days from its start date. The District may have to pay full costs, the Inspector seeing their behaviour as unreasonable. The Crowmarsh Neighbourhood Plan has yet to reach referendum.
* In Didcot, the Inspector dismissed an appeal for 135 homes, citing harm to the valued character and appearance of the North Wessex Downs. Significantly, he agreed the District have a demonstrable 5-year supply of housing land. The Didcot Neighbourhood Plan is in an early stage of preparation.
* Benson – a scheme for 120 homes was refused on Call-In to the Secretary of State as the scheme would have been contrary to the Benson Neighbourhood Plan, which passed referendum at the end of June 2018.
* Sonning Common – a scheme for 90 homes was refused on appeal because of intensification conflict with the Neighbourhood Plan.
To consider any relevant comments by the Committee.
9. Oxfordshire Growth Board
To note the response sent by the NPCO to the Oxfordshire Growth Board’s consultation (9a) on a deal to provide a lower test of a 3-year land supply in return for commitment to a joint spatial strategy. This was sent following communication with other Neighbourhood Plan groups.
To note the response received from the Oxfordshire Director of Housing and Growth Deal, Caroline Green (9b).
The Growth Board met on the 31 July 2018. A report into the response received by the Growth Board showed a surprisingly small number of representations from parish and town councils. This has been brought to the Growth Board’s attention.
To note the “leaked” letter from Kit Malthouse, the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (9c), regarding a request for “ambitious proposals for transformational housing growth”. The Government seem to be committing to the housing potential identified in the November 2017 National Infrastructure Commission report, “Partnering for Prosperity: a new deal for the Cambridge-Milton Keynes-Oxford arc”, for 1 million homes. It is expressed that proposals should be led by local authorities.
To consider any relevant comments by the Committee.
9a. Thame Town Council_response 3 year housing deal
9b. Response from GB to 3 year deal
10. Oxford – Cambridge Expressway
It has been suggested by SODC planning staff that the Expressway corridor decision will now not be announced until September.
To note the response (10b) received from the Transport Secretary to the Town Council’s letter of 4 July 2018 (10a) on the Expressway corridor option, and that our concerns about wider spatial planning issues in relation to the Expressway’s route have been passed to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
To note that SODC on 19 July 2018 agreed at Full Council to write to the Secretary of State for Transport stating the District’s support for Corridor C, with sub-option C1, to the west of Oxford (see final page of agenda reports pack).
To consider any relevant comments by the Committee.
10a. Letter to Chris Grayling MP July 2018
10b. Letter from DoT Expressway July 2018
11. Thames Valley Police Station Site, Greyhound Lane
To note that the appeal by Churchill Retirement Living Ltd on the Thames Valley Police site is now being dealt with under the written representations procedure.
The Inspector visited the site on 2 August 2018. The Town Council was invited to attend, but without any specific request from the Inspector to clarify features on the ground referred to in its representations, declined. We understand that the Inspector witnessed some serious transport issues.
To note the Town Council’s final response (11a) to the Planning Inspector that provides further detail to the Town Council’s objections, and responds to matters raised by the applicant’s agent.
11a. TTC response to Greyhound Lane appeal 31072018 appeal ref 3173982
12. Affordable Housing / Community Land Trust (CLT)
To note the one day ‘Visioning’ Workshop to firm up on the scope and objectives of the CLT will take place on Monday 17 September 2018.
To note that a developer with land options in the Thame parish area met with the Chair of the NPCC, and Thame Town Council officers, in order to establish the potential for future joint working regarding the Thame CLT.
To consider any relevant comments by the Committee.
13. Housing Needs Survey
Given the lack of response from SODC on the matter of a housing needs survey for Thame and the District’s market towns, to consider alternative ways of working towards establishing the types and sizes of homes Thame will need over the next 15 years.
14. Health Hub / Hallam Land
To note that Hallam Land have supplied copies of their proposed pre-application statement and supporting documents to SODC (14a-14f), which were circulated to all Councillors by e-mail on 25 July 2018 and 27 July 2018.
To note that Cllr Austin as Chairman of NPCC and East Thame Residents Association produced a swift commentary / analysis / response (14g).
To resolve that that initial response (amended as relevant) be submitted to SODC for their consideration as part of the pre-application response while noting it as a basis for further wider discussion.
15. Other Items to Note
a) To note that the NPCO attended a question and answer session hosted by SODC on Neighbourhood Planning on 11 July 2018.
b) To note that following the concerns expressed at the meeting in July the Town Clerk’s scheduled meeting with the Chief Executive of SODC has been rescheduled to take place on 15 August 2018, at the request of the Chief Executive.
c) To note that discussions were held at the Council meeting on 31 July 2018 in relation to significant planning applications at Moreton, Site D and Kingsmead Business Park.
d) To note that the NPCO has responded to requests for support on environmental aspects from an MSc student at the University of Lancaster and a resident of Markus Avenue.
e) To note that a meeting is being arranged with the consultants preparing the Lord Williams’s Lower School Design Brief in advance of the planned public exhibition / consultation.
f) To note ongoing discussions / communications with Moreton residents via various channels.
g) To note that a further SODC Planning Report (for June) was circulated to all Councillors on 2 August 2018.