Meeting documents

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 11 July 2017, copy attached as an appendix.

RESOLVED –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 11 July, 2017 be approved as a correct record.

To consider the attached report.

Contact Officer:  Charlotte Stevens (01296) 585982

In accordance with the Council’s scheme for public participation at meetings, 2 members of the public made statements to the Scrutiny Committee prior to consideration of the agenda item.  One person spoke regarding the omission of the garden village at Shenley Park as a site allocation in the VALP, the other person spoke opposing the allocation of Oaksview Park, Boarstall, as a site to meet the needs for Gypsy and Travellers.

All local planning authorities were under a statutory obligation to prepare a local plan.  The last adopted local plan dated from 2004 and did not take into account the recent changes in Government planning policy.  As such, the district did not have an up to date local plan.

The Council had tried to prepare a replacement plan on a number of occasions and the most recent attempt had been withdrawn following an examination in public in 2014.  Since then the Council had been working to deliver a new local plan and to ensure that AVDC met the Government expectations that local plans were produced as soon as practicable.

An initial scoping consultation on the new Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan (VALP) and call for sites had taken place in 2014, which had led to a large number of development sites being suggested across the District. This had been followed by an issues and options consultation in 2015, which looked at how 31,000 houses could be accommodated in the district to 2033.  Over 700 responses had been made to the issues and options consultation which included over 4,500 comments, many of which were very detailed. All of these comments had been summarised and were accessible on the council’s website. Where possible, the content of those responses had been taken into account in the preparation of the draft plan.

From July to September 2016 public consultation had taken place on the Draft Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan.  Through the consultation, residents and other interested parties had been able to comment on any aspect of the draft Plan, such as locations identified for new homes and jobs and the wording of policies.

Members were informed that 10 exhibitions had been held across the district through the summer, with a letter inviting people to respond having been was sent to those on the Local Plan consultation database.  Further publicity and information had been provided by way of press releases, leaflets, exhibitions and articles and social media promotions.

Some 1,600 responses had been received from that consultation, with over 5,000 comments about the draft Plan and its supporting policies.  A summary of the representations had been prepared and was also accessible on the website, together with spreadsheets which detail the content of the responses.  The main issues raised were:

(a)          the overall level of housing.

(b)          meeting unmet need from other areas.

(c)          the possible new settlement.

(d)          developments on the edge of Milton Keynes.

(e)          provision of infrastructure such as schools and roads.

(f)           removal of land from the Green Belt.

(g)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.