Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Arun Civic Centre, Maltravers Road, Littlehampton, BN17 5LF. View directions

Contact: Jane Fulton (Ext 37611) 

Media

Items
No. Item

35.

Declarations of Interest

Members and Officers are invited to make any declaration of pecuniary, personal and/or prejudicial interests that they may have in relation to items on this agenda, and are reminded that they should re-declare their interest before consideration of the items or as soon as the interest becomes apparent.

 

Members and Officers should make their declaration by stating:

 

a)             the item they have the interest in

b)             whether it is a pecuniary/personal interest and/or prejudicial interest

c)             the nature of the interest

Minutes:

No declarations of interest were made.

36.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 74 KB

The Committee will be asked to approve as a correct record the Minutes of the Special Planning Policy Committee held on 21 February 2023.

Minutes:

The Minutes of the Special meeting on 21 February 2023 were approved by the Committee and signed by the Chair. Only those Members present at the previous meeting voted. All other Members abstained from the vote.

37.

ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA THAT THE CHAIR OF THE MEETING IS OF THE OPINION SHOULD BE CONSIDERED AS A MATTER OF URGENCY BY REASON OF SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

Minutes:

The Chair confirmed that there were no urgent items to consider at this meeting.

38.

Public Question Time

To receive questions from the public (for a period of up to 15 minutes).

Minutes:

The Chair confirmed that there had been no questions from the public submitted for this meeting.

39.

Start Times

The Committee is asked to approve its start times for meetings during 2023/24.

Minutes:

          It was proposed by the Chair and seconded by Councillor Yeates that the start time for the remaining meetings of Planning Policy Committee for 2023/24 be 6pm.

 

The Committee

 

RESOLVED

 

That the start time of all remaining meetings of the Committee for 2023/24 would be 6pm.

40.

First Homes Local Allocation Policy pdf icon PDF 114 KB

This report seeks Planning Policy Committee’s agreement to recommend to Full Council that the Council’s ‘Interim Affordable Housing Policy’ statement (to accommodate the First Homes Policy) be updated to include local allocations policy criteria, consistent with the Council’s published ‘Housing Allocations Scheme’.

Minutes:

Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Planning Policy Team Leader presented the report which sought approval for the Council’s Interim Affordable Housing Policy statement (to accommodate the First Homes Policy) to be updated to include local allocations policy criteria to ensure consistency with the Council’s published Housing Allocations Scheme. It was noted that the Housing Allocations Scheme was to be reviewed and the local connection criteria amended [on page 9 of the Agenda Pack] at the Housing and Wellbeing Committee meeting on 20 June 2023. One Member sought further information on the impact of the changes to those already on the housing waiting list and how the policy would be measured to ensure it did not have a significant adverse impact. Another Member asked about whether the ‘close relative’ as defined in the third bullet point under 4.7 of the Officer report [on page 9 of the Agenda Pack] should be expanded to include legal dependents and guardians.

 

The Planning Policy Team Leader explained that the policy previously had what was considered a high bar for residency requirements and in lowering the thresholds would be less restrictive, and that any review would be undertaken via the Housing and Wellbeing Committee. The Group Head of Planning clarified that the purpose of this report was to align the First Homes Local Allocations Policy with the Housing Allocations Scheme which was being considered by the Housing & Wellbeing Committee at its next meeting. As the Housing Allocations Scheme was outside the remit of the Planning Policy Committee, Officers confirmed that they would bring points raised by Members to the attention of Housing Officers. The recommendations were then proposed by Councillor McAuliffe and seconded by Councillor Elkins.

 

The Committee

 

RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL – That

 

1.             The ‘Interim Affordable Housing Policy’ statement (to accommodate First Homes Policy) be adopted to include the local connections criteria, as set out under paragraph 4.7;

 

2.             Should the criteria be further updated by Housing and Wellbeing Committee on 20 June that delegated authority be given to Officers to amend the criteria in accordance with paragraph 4.8;

 

3.             The amended policy be uploaded to the Council’s website and reviewed annually.

41.

Middleton-on-Sea Application for Designation of a Neighbourhood Area pdf icon PDF 100 KB

This report seeks Planning Policy Committee’s agreement to recommend to Full Council to designate Middleton-on-Sea as a neighbourhood area rather than a business area. The decision to be made is whether the specified area is an ‘appropriate area to be designated as a Neighbourhood Area’.

Minutes:

Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Planning Policy Team Leader presented the report which sought the Committee’s agreement that Middleton-on-Sea was an appropriate area to be designated as a Neighbourhood Area and recommend to Full Council that Middleton-on-Sea be designated a neighbourhood area and not a business area. The recommendations were then proposed by Councillor Bower and seconded by Councillor Long.

 

The Committee

 

RECOMMEND TO FULL COUNCIL

 

That the specified area is designated without modification, as the Middleton-on-Sea Neighbourhood Area, for the reasons set out in the application and in light of the results of the public consultation which did not receive any representations.

42.

Infrastructure Levy (IL) Technical Consultation pdf icon PDF 94 KB

This report briefs Committee on the technical consultation on the proposed new ‘Infrastructure Levy’ (IL) under the Levelling up and Regeneration Bill, and asks Committee to agree the proposed response. The IL, if introduced, would change how development contributions are currently secured in Arun (i.e. via CIL - Community Infrastructure Levy and S106).

Minutes:

Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Planning Policy Team Leader presented the report which briefed the Committee on the technical consultation to the proposed new Infrastructure Levy (IL) under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. It was explained that, if introduced, the Infrastructure Levy would change how development contributions were secured in Arun; contributions currently being secured via the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 Agreements.

 

The Members’ discussion of the report primarily focussed on what the benefits of the new process were compared to the current charging regimes. It was explained that the current charging schedules were based on local land values and the proposed high level response would urge that the benefit of the new system should retain such local land and viability data and not just be subject to national data. It was also anticipated that charging the levy for floor area created on completion rather than at approval should lead to an increase in receipts due to rising prices over time and at the same time encourage developers to build out sooner. Section 106 Agreements being subject to inflation whilst the CIL charging schedule was updated for indexation only annually and not retrospectively was also highlighted, so this could mean that delays in charging until completion could also remove any inflationary differences between approval and completion. The recommendation was then proposed by Councillor Bower and seconded by Councillor Yeates.

 

The Committee

 

RESOLVED

 

That the proposed response under paragraph 4.11 of the report be agreed.

43.

Arun Local Plan Update pdf icon PDF 935 KB

The report seeks the Planning Policy Committee’s agreement that the pause to the Arun Local Plan Update be lifted and that steps be taken to progress engagement on the plan preparation including the commissioning of evidence and initial consultation.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Planning Policy Team Leader presented the report which sought the Committee’s agreement that the pause to the Arun Local Plan Update be lifted and that steps be taken to progress engagement on the plan preparation including the commissioning of evidence and initial consultation. The Planning Policy Team Leader provided some background to the report, including the decision to update the Local Plan having been taken in January 2020 largely on the basis on housing delivery performance but that there were also a number of national policy indicators (5-year housing land supply, housing delivery test) Arun was not achieving. He then noted National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) paragraph 11d and its presumption in favour of sustainable development, and the tilted balance in favour of development as the housing policies in Arun’s Local Plan were effectively being deemed out of date due to national policy requirements.

 

He highlighted the consequences of this for decision-making and appeals, and that decisions may not accord fully with the Local Plan. Arun’s declaring of a climate emergency and a desire to see energy performance and carbon reduction policies amongst others within an updated Local Plan were also noted but that work was further paused following signals to changes to the planning system. He concluded that a new consultation on the NPPF indicated the direction of central Government with regards the planning system and that, given the tilted balance, there was therefore a need for Arun to begin a Local Plan update. The Group Head of Planning clarified that the scope of the decision for the Committee at this meeting was only whether to commence or not the process of beginning work on restarting the Local Plan update.

 

Before inviting discussion, the Chair brought particular paragraphs of the Officer report to Members’ attention - 4.5 (national policy requiring Local Plans are reviewed and updated within 5 years with Arun’s being nearly 5 years old), 4.9 (development being more easily delivered and to a higher design standard), 4.10 (safeguards against unplanned development only being triggered if there was an up-to-date Local Plan), and 4.11 (housing requirement over the plan period).

 

Most Members that spoke supported recommencing of the Local Plan Update. Many mentioned a danger in not acting putting greater control into the hands of developers and central government, and acknowledged that due to the tilted balance and presumption in favour of development Arun was already seeing the consequences of planning by appeal. One Member commented that this was getting worse. It was suggested that the need for a Local Plan update had been triggered previously and that Members had chosen to do nothing but that this was no longer an acceptable course of action. Being unable to challenge housing numbers without an up-to-date Local Plan was discussed, as was the limited control Members felt they had now. With fears that the tilted balance would evermore favour developers and planning inspectors, Members considered whether some control was better than none.

 

The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

44.

A27 Ford Road Scheme pdf icon PDF 155 KB

This report updates the Committee on the A27 Ford Road Junction Feasibility Study prepared by West Sussex County Council. The purpose of the study was to provide evidence to inform future discussions on the design of the A27 Arundel Bypass, future Local Plan reviews and funding applications. The study was commissioned following requests from stakeholders, notably including elected representatives.

Minutes:

Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Planning Policy Team Leader presented the report which provided an update on the A27 Ford Road Junction Feasibility Study prepared by West Sussex County Council. It was explained that the purpose of the study was to provide evidence to inform future discussions on the design of the A27 Arundel Bypass, future Local Plan reviews and funding applications, and had been commissioned following requests from stakeholders.

 

Members who spoke raised concerns that accepting this report into evidence was in someway endorsing its content and conclusions and could limit future actions or representations of the Council. Some additional wording to be added to the Officer recommendation was then read to the Committee to make clear the Committee’s intentions in this regard. The wording was:

 

Whilst the Council is accepting the study into evidence, it does not necessarily endorse the report and it does not preclude the Council from continuing to press for further improvements for the good of the Arun District.

 

The Officer recommendation with this additional wording was proposed by Councillor Lury and seconded by Councillor Huntley.

 

The Committee

 

RESOLVED

 

That the A27 Ford Road Junction Feasibility Scheme be noted and added to the Council’s evidence web pages. Whilst the Council is accepting the study into evidence, it does not necessarily endorse the report and it does not preclude the Council from continuing to press for further improvements for the good of the Arun District.

45.

Community Infrastructure Levy – Light Touch Update pdf icon PDF 107 KB

This report is a light touch update to the Council’s Infrastructure Investment Plan 2022-2024 (IIP 2022/24). The IIP 2022/24 sets out the council’s Community Infrastructure Levy funding priorities over 3 years and a light touch update consultation was undertaken in March 2023 to identify any emergent matters that may require amendment to the IIP 2022/24. A full IIP update is scheduled for 2024.

Minutes:

Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Planning Policy Team Leader presented the report which provided a light touch update to the Council’s Infrastructure Investment Plan 2022-2024 which set out the Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy funding priorities over 3 years and following a light touch update consultation undertaken in March 2023 to identify any emergent matters that might require amendment to the plan. A full Infrastructure Investment Plan update was scheduled for 2024. The swap of Littlehampton Waste Recycling Centre to the Westhampnett Waste Scheme, agreed on the basis that there was no change to the project costs to be apportioned from CIL, was noted. The number of NHS projects on list, especially in light of previous discussions about infrastructure providers, was highlighted by one Member. The recommendation was then proposed by Councillor Lury and seconded by Councillor Huntley.

 

The Committee

 

RESOLVED

 

That the Infrastructure Investment Plan (IIP) be updated with any new information received for existing projects and new projects that providers would like to be considered following the light touch update consultation.

46.

Community Infrastructure Levy – Parish and Town Council Spend pdf icon PDF 145 KB

This report updates the Committee on the Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts and the apportionment of CIL payments to Parish and Town Councils for delivering their projects, including how the money is being used and reported (in accordance with the CIL regulations).

Minutes:

Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Planning Policy Team Leader presented the report which sought to update Members on the Council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) receipts and the apportionment of CIL payments to Parish and Town Councils for delivering projects. The Committee noted the report.

47.

Council Vision 2022-2023 Annual Report pdf icon PDF 93 KB

This report updates the Committee on progress towards key objectives within each theme for the year 2022-2023.   The full report will be presented to Committees as an important overview of council performance and sits alongside the key performance indicators (KPIs) for 2022-2023 which form the Corporate Plan.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Group Head of Organisational Excellence presented the report which sought to update the Committee on the end of year performance of the Vision indicators for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. It was explained for the benefit of new Councillors that the Council Vision for the period 2022-26 had been developed with Councillors at a series of workshops and then agreed by Full Council. The Vision was divided into 4 key themes - ‘Improving the wellbeing of Arun’, ‘Delivering the right homes in the right places’, ‘Supporting our environment to support us’, and ‘Fulfilling Arun’s economic potential’. There were overall aims for each of these themes and some specific objectives to be achieved over the four year period, and, though Policy and Finance Committee was responsible for overseeing performance across the Council, the full report was coming to the Committee so that Members had a comprehensive overview of performance across the Council.

 

The Committee noted the report. Some Members raised issues with KPIs under the remit of other Committees that were not relevant to the business of this Committee. It was explained that these comments would be formally recorded in the Minutes and responses from Officers in the relevant service areas would be sought. These included:

 

·       CV14 [Improve our green spaces] – how was ‘improve’ defined? For example, metre squared reverted to habitat creation or maintained in a certain way for wildflower meadows etc. Where would Members find this information?

·       CV19 [Number of households supported with complex needs] – is part of the target the number of Disabled Facilities Grants delivered? Is that the only measure used? How are the Disabled Facilities Grants being measured? What were the timescales and over what period were they being measured?

·       CV21 [Number of Council homes that meet the current statutory minimum standard for housing] – concern that the aspirate of the Council was to meet minimum statutory standards. Why has the bar not been set higher?

·       CV24 [3000 trees to be planted per year] – concerns over planting targets without accompanying maintenance targets given the known annual die back of new planting. Is data collected on how many plants are still alive after the 5 year period?

48.

Q4/End of Year Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Performance Report pdf icon PDF 97 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Upon the invitation of the Chair, the Group Head of Organisational Excellence presented the report which sought to update the Committee on the Quarter 4 and end of year Performance Outturn for the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which made up the Corporate Plan, for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. It was explained that these indicators were measures of operational performance and the same indicators would be measured each year for the four year period to allow for comparison and trends to be measured both in-year and between years. One Member raised the same issue that came up at every meeting of the Committee when its only KPI - CP36 [Number of new homes completed] – was discussed, that this KPI was reactive to the actions of developers building out or not and there was nothing Arun could do about it. The figure of over 6000 unimplemented housing permissions was given in support of this. The Committee then noted the report.

49.

Outside Bodies

Minutes:

The Chair confirmed that there were no reports from Outside Bodies for this meeting.

50.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 64 KB

The Committee’s Work Programme for 2023-24 is attached for the Committee’s information.

Minutes:

The Group Head of Planning confirmed that there were items to be added to the Committee’s Work Programme. Some items had been dependent on decisions taken at this evening’s meeting. The Committee noted the Work Programme.