Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillor Avery. Councillor Holt attended as the Alternate.

No declarations of interest were made.

The minutes of the meetings held on 27 July and 12 September 2017 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Not applicable.

Matter for Decision

The Council is required to produce an Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) on at least a yearly basis.

 

The draft AMR was attached as report Appendix A (on the agenda) for agreement.

 

Decision of Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport

       i.          Agreed the content of the AMR (Appendix A of the Officer’s report), subject to inclusion of amendments discussed at 5 December 2017 DPSSC.

     ii.          Agreed that if any amendments are necessary, these should be agreed by the Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport in consultation with Chair and Spokes of Development Plan Scrutiny Sub Committee.

 

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Senior Planning Policy Officer. The Senior Planning Policy Officer updated her report by tabling amendments to paragraphs 4.7 and 4.8.

 

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

AMR Chapter 2

       i.          Councillors requested the inclusion of lower quartile pay and lower quartile housing affordability ratios.

AMR Chapter 5

     ii.          Asked that paragraph 5.11 and Fig 1 (P50) both reflected Housing Completions and Projected Completions 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2031 in line with the Local Plan.

 

The Senior Planning Policy Officer said the following in response to Members’ questions:

Report Section 3 / AMR Chapter 11

       i.          The Council was awaiting comments on affordable housing thresholds from the Planning Inspector. The thresholds may need to be reviewed in light of the Inspector’s comments (when available) and future Central Government recommendations/legislation including changes to affordable housing definitions.

     ii.          Table 23 in Chapter 11 of the AMR set out a series of Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) the Council was putting together to supplement the Local Plan. The SPDs could be used as a material consideration in planning decision–making but would not be formally adopted as SPDs until the Local Plan was adopted. SPD policies would then be reviewed to ensure they reflected any modifications to the Local Plan.

AMR Chapter 5

   iii.          Table C1 (agenda P209) set out 5 year land supply details and identified sites. The Council was in a comfortable position.

   iv.          (Para 5.27) The Planning Inspector had not confirmed if Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council needed a combined target to deliver housing. Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council had a Memorandum of Understanding on the Greater Cambridge Joint Housing Trajectory to help delivery.

AMR Chapter 8

    v.          Para 8.1 referred to “telecommunications” as this was the terminology used in the current plan (instead of “broadband” etc).

AMR Chapter 9

   vi.          The position regarding the Northern Fringe East Area Action Plan would be reviewed in future once the outcome of the Housing Infrastructure Commission bid was known. The New Neighbourhoods Team were aware of the situation and would deal with planning applications taking this into consideration.

AMR Chapter 11

 vii.          Para 11.8 typographical error: Northern Fringe East.

AMR Chapter 12

viii.          Key Facts G4 gave a breakdown of combined owner occupied/private rent figures outlined in the table in Appendix A – Contextual Indicators. The most recent figures came from the 2011 census and were expected to be updated in 2018.

   ix.          It may also be possible to include trend information in the 2018 AMR to show how many owner occupied properties were becoming private rented ones. Officers would source information from housing survey information (based on the census) and planning permission data, then investigate the possibility of including this in future AMRs.

    x.          Officers would review if homes in multiple occupation data could be included in the 2018 AMR.

AMR Appendix A

   xi.          Officers would review if comparative data regarding employment could be included in the 2018 AMR.

 

The Committee unanimously resolved to endorse the recommendations.

 

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendations.

 

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor (and any Dispensations Granted)

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor.