Agenda and minutes

To receive and note any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors J Bridges and R Johnson.

Under the Code of Conduct members are reminded that in declaring disclosable interests you should make clear the nature of that interest and whether it is pecuniary or non-pecuniary.

Councillor J Legrys declared a non pecuniary interest in any discussion relating to Coalville, as a volunteer at Hermitage FM.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 10 June 2015

It was moved by Councillor M Specht, seconded by Councillor J Cotterill and

RESOLVED THAT:

The minutes of the meeting held on 10 June 2015 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

Terms of Reference attached.

RESOLVED THAT:

The Terms of Reference be noted.

Report of the Director of Services

The Director of Services presented the report to members, outlining the progress to date on the Local Plan and discussions at the Advisory Committee which had led to further work and engagement with Parish and Town Councils, particularly in respect of the town centre boundaries.  He added that the draft Local Plan was underpinned by evidence which was available for members to view.  He stated that the work to date had been leading to this point, where a draft Local Plan was available which contained all the policies that were proposed to be included in the Local Plan. 

The Director of Services invited members to discuss the proposals and make any comments on the draft Local Plan, which would be reported to the Council meeting on 15 September.  He added that it would be a matter for Council to determine the content of the final Local Plan.  He explained that thereafter, the agreed Local Plan would go through a formal process of public consultation and examination by an  independent Planning  inspector who would be appointed by the Secretary of State.  The inspector would then make a series of recommendations to the Council, and hopefully adoption of the Local Plan would follow.  He advised that the Local Plan would carry full weight in the planning process at that point. 

The Director of Services referred members to the draft Local Plan before them and highlighted the figures identified by policy S2 in the Strategy section.  He advised that these figures represented the overall level of development proposed in the plan period up to 2031.  He made reference to the previous discussions which had taken place in respect of the plan period, and advised that due to the work being done on the Housing Market Area it had been agreed to restrict the plan period to 2031.  He added that the policies within the Local Plan gave substance to those figures.

In respect of employment, the Director of Services highlighted the overall requirement for 96 hectares, and pointed out that there was an existing commitment for 126 hectares, which exceeded this figure.  He advised that taking into account the fact that there would be some employment land lost over the plan period, there was an overall shortfall of 13 hectares.  Therefore it would be necessary to allocate at least 13 hectares of additional employment land to meet the allocated requirement.   He added that there were sites already across the district with planning permission which would contribute to that requirement.

The Director of Services made reference to the previous discussion at the Advisory Committee in terms of the need for flexibility in respect of the housing requirement figure, allowing for an increase in employment, particularly taking into consideration the proposal for a major strategic distribution site in the north of the district.  He advised that, taking into account the existing number of dwellings already with planning permission, it was proposed to allocate one additional strategic site at Money Hill which would meet the shortfall  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.