Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of City Development.

Agreed:

RESOLVED that:-

(1)  the full Draft Exeter Plan (included in Appendix A of the report) be approved as the basis for public consultation commencing on 23 October 2023;

(2)  the Director City Development, in consultation with the Council Leader and Portfolio Holder for City Development, be granted delegated authority to agree minor changes to the Full Draft Plan content before it is published for consultation; and

(3)  the Director City Development, in consultation with the Council Leader and Portfolio Holder for City Development, be granted delegated authority to agree a change to the consultation start date if required.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

The Executive received the report which provided an update on the progress of the Exeter Plan (Local Plan) and sought approval for a third public consultation on the Full Draft of the Plan.

Exeter City Council had a statutory duty, as the Local Planning Authority to prepare planning policy for the city and the new Exeter Plan would replace the two development plan documents for the city - the Core Strategy and the Local Plan First Review. The Full Draft plan would take the plan process another step further from the outline draft and provide a draft of the full set of planning policies proposed for Exeter.

Members were advised that the Exeter Plan would be used to help determine planning applications, direct growth and curate high quality design and sustainability for the city. The plan would also provide the city’s infrastructure requirements and framework for future investment. Work commenced in 2020, leading to the 2022 outline draft of the plan which went to public consultation. Work had been undertaken on the feedback received and gathering further evidence, which has been include in the full draft plan. The updated plan now included a spatial strategy with a brownfield first approach to development and a development map of proposed allocations.

The plan had also been designed to match the Exeter 2040 vision and corporate plan, and building high quality sustainable development and since the last draft report, an additional Liveable Exeter principle included for culture and place making. The plan would go to a 12-week consultation using the same methodology as the previous consultation. After consultation, there would be an evidence gathering stage to produce a submission draft of the plan for the planning inspectorate.

Councillor D. Moore, as an opposition group leader, spoke on this item and welcomed the three month consultation and enquired on what environmental assessment would be produced in the plan for achieving Net Zero and the impact on climate change with the proposed developments?

Councillor Jobson, as an opposition group leader, spoke on this item and enquired on flood risk impacts and what further work was being undertaken on the infrastructure.

The Leader advised the questions raised were not related to the recommendations in the report and should be submitted as part of the consultation process.

During the discussion the following points were made:-

·         the plan was welcomed and represented a large volume of work;

·         the document was very accessible and included feedback from the previous consultation; and

·         there would be a lot of work on the climate change in the plan as well as working with partners to show where the Council will make a difference and hold the Government to account on future home standards.

The Portfolio Holder for City Development highlighted that the Council was currently pushing for biodiversity on planning applications and the team had been working very hard on multiple policies. Having the same level of response as previous consultations would be welcomed.

RESOLVED that:-

(1)  the full Draft Exeter Plan (included in Appendix A of the report) be approved as the basis for public consultation commencing on 23 October 2023;

(2)  the Director City Development, in consultation with the Council Leader and Portfolio Holder for City Development, be granted delegated authority to agree minor changes to the Full Draft Plan content before it is published for consultation; and

(3)  the Director City Development, in consultation with the Council Leader and Portfolio Holder for City Development, be granted delegated authority to agree a change to the consultation start date if required.