Decision details

To approve the neighbourhood planning protocol; to delegate consequential changes to the constitution to the Corporate Director and Monitoring Officer

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control introduced his report, asking Members to adopt the Neighbourhood Planning Protocol and to delegate authority to make any minor changes and update the constitution if necessary.  This is being done in line with government guidance and to ensure that the document, which dates back to 2015, remains fit for purpose and in line with a number of government acts as well as our own Corporate Plan priorities. He said the council always supports local communities and parish councils in creating their own neighbourhood plans, and it is important that the protocol remains up to date and live, with reviews on a regular basis.

A Member asked how the council can encourage more communities to get involved in neighbourhood planning, saying that in some areas, finding the requisite 21 people is difficult with the result that areas with good volunteer networks are much more likely to engage with the process.  The Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control said that this is an age-old question and applies to most things the council does.  He said the protocol doesn’t address this issue in detail – it is basically a list of what needs to be done and the various stages and gateways - but the council wants to do its best for all communities in Cheltenham and anyone coming forward will have its full support.

In debate, a Member welcomed the report and timely update of the protocol and hoped that the reforms proposed can be carried forward as part of a greater process of reforming the neighbourhood planning processes, noting the various barriers to engagement for some communities.  He was also conscious of the difference between parished and non-parished areas of Cheltenham, with significant deprivation in some of the unparished areas, and hoped that the council might bring forward new measures to encourage outreach work on neighbourhood plans and the establishment of more neighbourhood forums.  He supported the report as a good first step towards that.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control suggested that elected Members are responsible for taking the lead in their communities, to make sure the people they represent know what is available, support their first steps, and direct them towards officers for help and guidance if appropriate.  He said the protocol is a living document and can be improved in the future to ensure it is always fit for purpose.

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    the Cheltenham Borough Council Neighbourhood Planning Protocol, attached to the report at Appendix 4, is adopted; 

2.    authority is delegated to the Director of Community and Economic Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control, to prepare the Neighbourhood Planning Protocol for publication correcting any minor errors such as spelling, grammar, typographical and formatting changes that do not affect the substantive content of the Protocol;

3.    authority is delegated to the Corporate Director and Monitoring Officer to make changes to the constitution, as set out in Appendix 2 of the report;

4.    authority is delegated to the Director of Community and Economic Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control, to make any future amendments to the Neighbourhood Planning Protocol such as updates to references to Government guidance, to ensure it remains fit for purpose.