Executive Summary: To seek approval to set up a hardship fund to assist those facing hardship after the implementation of new service charges in the 2025/26 financial year

The current Council Vision 2022-2026 sets out the council’s agreed priorities for service delivery over this period. Following work with staff, a set of ‘core foundations’, have been developed to support the delivery of the Vision. These enabling statements set out how we should be working within the council. The report will recommend adoption of our new ‘core foundations’, to become part of the existing Vision.

This report shows the updated emission results for the 2023-2024 financial year carbon audit and provides an update on the Council’s key projects in reducing its emissions. This is an ever-evolving document with changes reflected in each publication.
Please note that this document has had a name update due to a separate Biodiversity Action Plan being under development within the planning department. Going forward this will now be referred as the Climate Action and Sustainability Work Plan.

The purpose of the report is for this Committee to consider and make recommendations to Full Council on 19 March 2025 on the draft Capital Strategy 2025/26 to 2027/28.

This report seeks the agreement of Committee to publish the Barnham/Eastergate/Westergate Infrastructure Development Plan (BEWIDP) on the council’s web site as material evidence identifying the infrastructure supporting the delivery development uplift within the BEW Strategic Allocation.

The report provides an update on the resolution of Minute 609 of the Economy Committee of 1 February 2024 regarding land at Waterloo Square and also seeks the agreement of the Committee to explore the potential use of additional powers pursuant to the agreed resolution.

To provide members with the latest performance for housing services covering Q3 of 2024/25.

To provide members with Q3 performance for housing complaints and any Housing Ombudsman determination for Q3 2024/25.

In light of the recent changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the Deputy Prime Minister has asked that all local planning authorities produce an updated LDS within 12 weeks of the publication of the NPPF (i.e. by no later than 6 March 2025). The Local Development Scheme (LDS) will therefore, need to be updated with a revised plan preparation timetable.

Under the council’s constitution, the Group Head of Planning does not have delegated powers in respect of producing/updating the Local Development Scheme. Accordingly, it needs to be referred to the Planning Policy Committee for approval. The next available meeting is 18 March, which is beyond the 12 week period stated in the instruction from the Deputy Prime Minister. On this basis, the intention is to submit a draft of the updated LDS to DCHLG on, or before, 6 March 2025, making it clear that the decision to ratify the document/Local Plan programme needs Committee approval, which is to follow.

It should be noted that the timetable as set out in the updated LDS could be significantly impacted by the current devolution process.

This report seeks agreement from the Committee to the draft response to the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) on their current Regulation 18 Consultation on a review of the South Downs Local Plan. The current South Downs Local Plan covers the period 2014 to 2033 and was adopted in July 2019. It is now being reviewed to ensure it is up-to-date and addresses important issues such as nature recovery, climate change, affordable housing and helping local communities thrive. The new Local Plan is intended to cover the period up to 2042. The public consultation of the Local Plan Review started on 20 January 2025 and is the main opportunity for people to help shape the final Plan. Once the new Local Plan is adopted in 2027, it will be used to help decide all planning applications in the National Park.

The consultation runs between 20 January - 17 March 2025, but the SDNPA has agreed to an extension of time with Arun DC to submit comments on the document by 21 March 2025, to take account of the Planning Policy Committee meeting dates.

In accordance with Council Procedure Rule 3.1, the council needs to agree a programme of dates for council meetings prior to the commencement of the new municipal year.
A proposed calendar of meetings for 2025/2026 has been prepared and is presented to council for approval.

This report is intended to seek agreement from Full Council to ‘make’ (formally adopt) the Ford Neighbourhood Plan 2. The current Ford Neighbourhood Plan was ‘made’ in January 2019. The Neighbourhood Plan Group has prepared an updated Ford Neighbourhood Plan 2 to bring the NP up to date, which was the subject of independent examination in November and December 2024. The Examiner of this modified Plan concluded that subject to a series of recommended modifications, the Ford Neighbourhood Development Plan 2 meets all the necessary legal requirements and should be made by Arun District Council. The Examiner determined that the material modifications do not change the nature of the Plan, and it does not require a Referendum.

This ‘making’ of the plan will give it legal force and it will form part of the statutory Development Plan for that area. Consequently, decisions on planning applications in the neighbourhood area will need to be made in accordance with the Neighbourhood Development Plan or Order, unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

In order for the Committees to be updated with the Q3 Performance Outturn for
the Key Performance indicators for the period 1 April to 31 December
2024.

Arun, like most other councils in the country, is currently having to deal with huge issues around the delivery of affordable housing on sites as part of the requirements of section 106 agreements.

We are getting an increasing number of developers coming to us because they have been unable to dispose of affordable units to Registered Providers (RP’s). This because of recent changes to how RP’s access grant funding.

In the face of an increasing number of discussions and formal proposals to amend s106 agreements, the council are seeking to produce a framework document to be used in progressing these discussions and determining these applications on the basis that developers are getting no interest from RPs and are unable to dispose of these units to RP’s. This framework will ensure that discussions can be progressed with a degree of certainty.

This report updates the Committee on the outcome of the tender process to appoint a consultancy to lead on the preparation of a new Local Plan, with support from ADC’s Planning Policy and Conservation Team. It seeks formal approval to award a contract to the successful bidder and will also seek approval for the necessary budget, should the value of the winning bid be higher than the level of spend previously identified.

The budget monitoring report sets out the General Fund Revenue budget, Capital Programme and Housing Revenue Account budget performance and forecast for 2024/25 as at the end of Quarter 3.