Issue - decisions

The Leader introduced the report, highlighting the following points:

-       the LibDem council is supportive of neighbourhoods playing a bigger part in decisions which affect them, and happy to implement the policy of Neighbourhood Plans that the party helped introduce in government;

-       adopted Neighbourhood Plans become part of the Local Development Framework and a material consideration in planning decisions; this plan is already being quoted as emerging policy by planning inspectors in appeal decisions;

-       Neighbourhood Plans have to be consistent with higher level adopted local plans (currently the JCS and Cheltenham Plan) but offer local neighbourhoods an important say in the future of their areas;

-       the draft plan includes policies relating to all planning issues, and has already gone through two extensive local consultations and a borough consultation.  If approved by Council, it will proceed to examination by a qualified examiner, and be followed by a public referendum for local people in Leckhampton and Warden Hill;

-       government support and significant funding is available to support neighbourhood planning, but it has taken years to get the plan to this stage – thanks to parish councillors and volunteers who have made this happen;

-       the council wants all neighbourhoods, parished or unparished, to have a greater say in the decisions that affect their lives.  We need to reflect on how we can support them all to do that.

There were no Member questions.

A Member thanked the Leader, and confirmed that more than ten years’ work that has gone into this plan,  involving a lot of scrutiny by the Parish Council and community.

RESOLVED THAT:

-       the Leckhampton with Warden Hill Neighbourhood Plan progresses to examination;

-       authority is delegated to the Director of Community & Economic Development, in consultation with the Leader to submit the Leckhampton with Warden Hill Neighbourhood Plan along with other prescribed documentation to the examiner.