Issue - meetings

Report of the Leader

RESOLVED THAT

1.      the use of the Local Green Space Toolkit, amended as appropriate, be agreed.  Changes to be agreed with the Leader of the Council prior to publication.

2.      the consultancy brief be agreed

3.      officers be actioned to undertake the procurement process to commence the works required to support local communities wishing to identify sites considered suitable for Local Green Space designation.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report and explained that a key element of the Local Green Space designation in the National Planning Policy framework (NPPF) was that a green area to be designated must be “demonstrably special to a local community and hold a particular local significance”, work with the local communities within the borough to initially identify and propose areas is suggested.

The Leader said that it was important that this work was progressed as there was the immediate pressure of planning applications. It was proposed that CBC adopt the Cotswold toolkit and make it more Cheltenham specific. Consideration was given as to whether officers could lead the consultation elements of the study but as they were currently constrained by other work priorities it was proposed that consultants be commissioned to facilitate work with local communities at an approximate cost of £6 000 to be funded by an underspend at outturn.

Members noted that the recently published national planning practice guidance stated that “Designating any Local Green Space will need to be consistent with local planning for sustainable development in the area. In particular, plans must identify sufficient land in suitable locations to meet identified development needs and the Local Green Space designation should not be used in a way that undermines this aim of plan making. However paragraph 14 of the NPPF stated that local plans should meet objectively assessed need unless there were specific policies in the framework which indicated development should be restricted.

Members recognised the apparent contradiction in the plan. The local green space designations shouldn’t be used as a means for thwarting objections but should be used as a means to continue to identify local green space legitimately. Flexibility was key.

RESOLVED THAT

1.      the use of the Local Green Space Toolkit, amended as appropriate, be agreed.  Changes to be agreed with the Leader of the Council prior to publication.

2.      the consultancy brief be agreed

3.      officers be actioned to undertake the procurement process to commence the works required to support local communities wishing to identify sites considered suitable for Local Green Space designation.