Agenda item

Planning and Transportation Committee

To consider revisions to the City Plan 2036.

 

Minutes:

PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE

 

(Deputy Alastair Moss)

17 November 2020

City Plan 2036: Revisions to Proposed Submission Draft Plan

The draft Local Plan, titled City Plan 2036, had been agreed for Regulation 19 pre-submission consultation by the Court of Common Council at its meeting on 21 May 2020. Local Plan regulations at that time prevented consultation taking place without making physical copies of the Plan available for inspection; however, amendments to those Regulations in July 2020 now enabled a website-only consultation to occur.

 

Changes to the Plan were now required prior to this consultation taking place in order to address revisions to permitted development rights and the Use Classes Order, which came into effect on 31 August and 1 September 2020, as well as to address other items, such as the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the City’s climate ambitions as set out by the recently approved Climate Action Strategy.

 

These changes had been agreed by the Planning & Transportation Committee and Policy & Resources Committee and were now recommended to the Court of Common Council.

 

In response to questions concerning the future demand for office space and the potential to explore developing sites for housing, the Chair expressed his confidence that the City remained the best place to do business and would continue to attract demand.  He observed that the Planning department was incredibly busy at present with a significant volume of applications, demonstrating there was clear continued appetite for office space. The Chair acknowledged that there would likely be an element of adaptation or change to how such space was used but added that this sort of evolution was natural within the City. The Chair also observed that the Plan already emphasised the importance of housing, making a clear commitment to 1460 net additional dwellings, a figure above the estimated housing need for the City over the period, whilst also strengthening the commitment to the delivery of affordable housing.

 

In response to a further question concerning the Bevis Marks Synagogue, the Chair was pleased to note that the Plan recognised the fundamental importance of the historic fabric of the City but suggested that he did not think it would be appropriate for specific buildings to be mentioned. However, he emphasised that he was fully aware of the specific importance of Bevis Marks and its great historical, cultural and religious significance, adding that he had had the privilege of a recent meeting with representatives of the Synagogue and was looking forward to further meetings in due course.

 

Resolved – That :-

1.       The proposed changes to the Proposed Submission draft Local Plan, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be approved and the draft Local Plan be published for consultation.

2.       The Director of the Built Environment be authorised to make further non-material amendments and editorial changes prior to public consultation.

3.       Follow consultation, the Local Plan, the public representations and other supporting documentation be submitted to the Secretary of State, for Examination.

4.       Should any material changes be required to the Local Plan following consultation and prior to submission, consideration of these changes be delegated to the Planning and Transportation Committee.

5.       The Director of the Built Environment, in liaison with the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Planning & Transportation Committee, be instructed to compile a list of any proposed non-material changes to the Local Plan, in response to public representations and submit this to the Secretary of State.

 

Supporting documents: