Agenda item

(To receive a report by the Environment Commissioner which sets out the key areas of East Lindsey District Council's consultation on its draft Local plan where Lincolnshire County Council would wish to engage in further discussion on the content of the Local Plan)

Consideration was given to a report by the Environment Commissioner, which provided the Committee with information on the East Lindsey District Council draft Local Plan. 

The Committee was invited to endorse the proposals made within the report, which would inform the position the County Council takes with regard to its engagement with its partners during public consultation on the draft East Lindsey Local Plan.

The County Commissioner for Economy and Place presented the report to the Committee and in doing so, highlighted that the Council had sought to engage with East Lindsey District Council in the development of its Local Plan, but believed that there were a number of outstanding areas where further debate was desirable if the draft Local Plan was to take account of national policy developments since 2010, and if it was to be sufficiently robust for submission for the Examination in Public process.

Members of the Committee, and a Local Member who was observing the meeting (the Local Member wished it be noted that he was a Member of East Lindsey District Council and a North Somercotes Parish Councillor), were provided with an opportunity to ask questions, where the following points were noted: -

·         Members highlighted that a revised, effective and up-to-date local plan for East Lindsey was urgently required and the current proposals would need additional work and support to ensure they were fit for purpose;

·         The Committee supported the work undertaken so far to engage with East Lindsey District Council in the development of its Local Plan, and highlighted that further engagement and communication were needed to achieve a positive outcome;

·         The Committee expressed concerns regarding the implications on future school demand given the levels of engagement with Local Education Officers during the development of the plan. This included the urgent need for joint working on the development of an appropriate projected education model to aid in ensuring a sustainable pupil population as part of future development and growth.  General concerns were raised regarding this issue and it was therefore suggested that the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee scrutinised this matter further;

·         It was requested that the Committee revisited the South East Lincolnshire Local Plan, as additional land had been incorporated in the draft local plan during the consultation phase which may be of interest to the Committee;

·         Further to the above, the Committee highlighted the need to continue to review all Lincolnshire Local Plans throughout their consultation periods to ensure the information remains current, relevant and appropriate;

·         The Committee highlighted significant concerns in relation to the proposals for new developments with low numbers of dwellings across multiple sites as these would not help secure the vital s106 contributions to support sustainable school provision;

·         The Committee queried whether the level of communication and engagement between Lincolnshire County Council and East Lindsey District Council throughout the process leading up to the consultation on the draft Local Plan had been sufficient;

·         Members highlighted that the proposed locations for Traveller sites within the current Draft Local Plan consultation needed additional thought to ensure sites were appropriately placed to have minimal impact on growth and future development of the costal economy;

·         The Committee highlighted concerns regarding the volume of new housing allocations in East Lindsey in relation to the published Greater Lincolnshire growth targets, and whether the number of new homes proposed was adequate or ambitious enough in the context of promoting local growth;

·         The Committee highlighted the need for ambitious growth to release funding to address current and future infrastructure concerns. Horncastle was given as an example where extra housing could lead to potential investment in additional Highways infrastructure, such as a bypass;

·         The Committee highlighted concern that the current draft Local Plan did not appear to include a practical Infrastructure Delivery Plan and that the detailed assessments which had been undertaken in relation to the transport network, had not been taken into account in arriving at draft conclusions regarding potential levels of growth and development required;

·         The Committee highlighted the need to move away from the idea that some communities were unsustainable, as the purpose of a local plan was to look at future planning and development of areas that could receive a significant boost to growth and infrastructure. The Committee also highlighted the need to encourage and promote local business development as a key part of effective local planning;

·         The Committee suggested that representatives from East Lindsey District Council be invited to attend a future meeting to discuss the current situation and how this could be progressed to a positive outcome;

·         The Committee highlighted concern in relation to some of the evidence used as part of the current Draft Local Plan. Members asked officers to continue to work with East Lindsey District Council to work through these points and ensure the most appropriate and current information formed the basis of the Local Plan;

·         A Local Member highlighted the need for the East Lindsey Local Plan to support growth of the costal economy and facilitate improving the aspirations for young people. The Local Member also highlighted that the current draft Local Plan put too much emphasis on affordable housing in coastal areas and stressed the need for a balance of affordable and open market housing; and

·         The Committee highlighted the need for more engagement to be undertaken as part of the wider consultation on the draft Local Plan and a greater level of co-operative working as exists with the South East and Central Lincolnshire Local Plans.

RESOLVED

That the comments of the Committee be submitted to East Lindsey District Council, as the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee's response to the consultation for the East Lindsey Local Plan.