Issue - meetings

To receive the report of the Strategic Director for Place on the Exeter Plan Publication Process.

Please note the Background papers listed at the end of the report which give useful context.

The Assistant Service Lead – Local Plan presented the report drawing attention to the following points:

·         there had been changes to procedural matters since the last consultation;

·         there had been previous consultation and additional partnership work;

·         Planning Member Working Group had discussed the emerging plan;

·         the Plan period had moved on by one year;

·         transitional arrangements for plan-making were proposed by Government in the national planning reforms consulted on in summer 2024. These proposals would amend the NPPF and increase housing requirements from 602 to 815 per annum for Exeter;

·         it was important that the plan continue in a timely manner; and

·         that the publication process was formal and statutory.

Councillor Moore expressed disappointment that the Local Plan was not available for scrutiny and in the governance of the process.

The Strategic Direct for Place and Assistant Service Lead – Local Plan answered Members’ questions making the following points:

·         that the council worked jointly with neighbouring authorities with Gypsy, Roma and travelling communities;

·         work continued with the university rather than students themselves, using demographic projections;

·         that the recommendation to Executive will be seeking approval to publish the plan, waiting would fall outside the transition arrangements;

·         Valley Park Master Plan would run until 2026, would be valuable evidence but the Plan had higher status;

·         There had been three rounds of extensive consultation, online, in-person, public exhibitions and a number of methodologies used;

·         all responses to consultations were collated and brought to committee and the response rate had been higher than any seen in his considerable experience; and

·         that the Plan is only one mechanism to meeting the 2030 net zero ambition.

Councillor M Mitchell moved a motion, seconded by Councillor Palmer, that a special meeting of Strategic Scrutiny be held after the publication of the Executive agenda on 25 November 2024 and before the meeting of the Executive on 3 December 2024 in order to consider the content of the draft local plan which following a vote was NOT CARRIED.