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The Chairman announced that the item relating to the Local Plan would be received first with the Committee Work Programme being received at the end of the agenda.

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To receive a brief verbal update from the Executive Member for Community Services and the Executive Member for Regeneration.

The Executive Member for Community Services provided an update in relation to the closure of Dunstable Leisure Centre; the previous contractors were working closely with the new provider to ensure a smooth transition of services and the TUPE of staff. The pothole jet patcher had been deployed, with many hundreds of defects temporarily fixed which had improved conditions, although the recent high temperatures had caused problems with road surfaces. £500k had recently been invested to allow for gully cleaning which was anticipated to take approximately 14 months to complete.

This report is to present the Draft Central Bedfordshire Local Plan to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee. It provides an opportunity for the Committee to formally review its contents, seek any clarification required and provide comments. The views of the committee will be formally recorded as its response to the public consultation.

Due to the size of Appendix A which appears at the end of this agenda, pages 29 - 272 will only be available in printed version on request. All documents are available online and via the Modern Gov app.

The Executive Member for Regeneration provided a summary of a recent speech given by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government outlining the Government’s position on development and growth; new methods for calculating the number of homes required; and the need for transparency in relation to housing need. There were concerns relating to the complexities around percentage rules and penalties in relation to the five year housing land supply and Members were advised that approximately 50% of local hostile applications were refused on the basis of unsustainability. Councils would shortly be invited to bid for Central Government funding for infrastructure, which was acknowledged as crucial to delivery of the plan.

The Local Planning Manager highlighted key dates and milestones in relation to the timeline for the Local Plan with the pre-submission version as the next key milestone in March 2018. Next steps would be dependent upon on the planning inspectorate’s internal timescales and public engagement feedback, with the technical evidence base key to ensuring its success. Members were advised of the strategic issues affecting the plan including the housing need methodology, infrastructure opportunities along the Oxford to Cambridge corridor and the need to maintain a five year housing land supply. The Plan was anticipated to generate an increase in jobs and economic growth, ensuring the enhancement and protection of existing communities, landscape, heritage and environment.

Members were appraised of the approach to development on Green Belt land, with the need to consider sustainable development in order to avoid overcrowding in the north of Central Bedfordshire. Growth location options and principles were outlined, with a clear message that existing settlements would not be coalesced, with country parks created to provide open spaces. The next key stage was to communicate the draft local plan to residents with details shared on social media and online channels with the aim to reach as wide an audience as possible. All comments received would be analysed in order to shape the next version of the plan, with future community planning events and technical studies undertaken before finalising proposals.

The Chairman highlighted that this meeting provided the Committee the opportunity to discuss the broad area of growth options and feed into the public consultation. In light of the report and presentation Members discussed the following in summary:-

·           Confirmation that the area defined on the map as ‘star 2’ in the Marston Vale area was an employment site.

·           That at present there was no substantive growth planned in the vicinity of Junction 12 of the M1 Motorway at Toddington, but there could be some moderate growth identified in the next stage of the plan in common with other large Green Belt villages and towns.

·           Members queried the methodology behind the site assessment process and it was clarified that at each stage of the process transparency had been assured in terms of the public consultation. Documents were available setting out the methodology and any parties were welcome to view and comment upon the individual preliminary technical site  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

Members of the Committee will receive information regarding the Work Programme 2017/18 and Executive Forward Plan.

RECOMMENDED that the Committee Work Programme be agreed subject to the following amendments:-

1.         The Parking Enforcement Strategy – September 2017.

2.         That concerns relating to the performance of the legal department be considered by Corporate Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee.