Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Social Housing presented a report on the work being undertaken to produce a new Local Plan, a key strategic document which would set out the local planning policy framework to guide development within the Borough for the next 15 years.

The Cabinet Member advised that consultation on the draft Local Plan would be carried out in two stages as required by regulations and this report concerned the first stage, referred to as the ‘Regulation 18 consultation’.  The second stage (the Regulation 19 consultation) would be carried out in Spring 2020, after which the Local Plan would be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for an independent examination.  Following that, the Local Plan would be submitted to the Assembly for adoption in Spring 2021.

Members were positive overall about the consultation documents and applauded the work to date.  Officers were asked, however, to make clearer references in the documents to other Council strategies and priorities; for example, the public health benefits of aspects such as cycling routes.

In response to other comments, the Cabinet Member referred to the sections in Annexe 1 of the report discussing the mitigation against flood risk and assured Members that the water management systems in the Barking Riverside development area were robust.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree to public consultation on the Regulation 18 draft Local Plan at Annexe 1 of the report, and its associated evidence base studies, taking place from 29 November 2019 to 24 January 2020;

(ii)  Delegate authority to the Director of Inclusive Growth to make non-material amendments to the consultation documents, in advance of public consultation; and

(iii)  Note the proposed timeframe for adopting the Local Plan.