Agenda item

An opportunity for members to understand and discuss the synergies between the emerging Local Plan, Local Transport Plan and Infrastructure Plan. 

Contributors:

Cllr Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration

Cllr Steve Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport

Steve Bambrick, Service Director, Planning & Environment

Darran Eggleton, Head of Planning Policy and Compliance

John Cheston, Planning Policy Manager

Rosie Brake, Planning Policy Team Leader

The Committee received an update from Councillor Peter Strachan, Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration, Cllr Steve Broadbent, Cabinet Member for Transport, Ian Thompson, Corporate Director, Planning Growth and Sustainability, Steve Bambrick, Service Director, Planning & Environment, Darran Eggleton, Head of Planning Policy and Compliance, John Cheston, Planning Policy Manager, and Rosie Brake, Planning Policy Team Leader.

The following points were highlighted:

·         It was clarified that under item 6 on the agenda front sheet, it should read ‘regeneration strategies’, not ‘infrastructure plan’

·         In addition to the plans listed, various other schemes worked in collaboration with the Local Plan, Transport Plan & Regeneration Strategies, such as the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and Design Codes. The interdependencies were consistently assessed to ensure compatibility and that good practice was being followed.

·         The new Transport Plan being produced was the 5^th Local Transport Plan (LTP 5), a new LTP was produced every 10-15 years. Intelligence was gathered to assess the priorities of movement of people and goods in intra-authority and inter-authority areas.

·         Buckinghamshire Council was still awaiting final guidance on LTP 5 from the Department for Transport. This guidance was required before they could fully consult. Funding for projects was decided on a case by case basis with appropriate DfT indications. Given the nature and cost of transport schemes, there will be a need to draw on external funding in many instances.

During discussion, comments and questions raised by the Committee included:

·         Where major works/movements were conducted, in line with the asset management policy, the road was inspected and defects were dealt with accordingly.

·         In preparing the Local Plan, transport links are considered when looking at areas for large scale development. The Local Plan can’t fix historic problems. Where it is possible, roads/infrastructure are built prior to housing, however this won’t always be the case.

·          Policy requirements contained within the current Local Plans remain in place until overtaken by the new Buckinghamshire Local Plan. The Council is committed to following up on any infrastructure requirements contained within current Local Plans. Going forward, these allocations and requirements would be considered in the formulation of the new Buckinghamshire Local Plan.

·         A Member mentioned that Luton Airport had been looking to increase employment opportunities within Buckinghamshire. The LTP would examine the needs of residents as well as cross-boundary opportunities in its formulation. Research would be undertaken to identify where residents need to travel for work and how best to develop transport links. There is a legal duty to cooperate when preparing the Local Plan and Local Infrastructure Plans, as such the Council ensures their strategies are coherent with other Local Authority strategies.

·         It was clarified that when planning permission is granted, conditions or requirements only apply within the application site. This red line can limit the ability of conditions to stop incidents such as pavement damage outside the area of the planning application site.

·         Where a planning application requires infrastructure delivery, the developers are not always able to deliver this up front. Viability of arrangements such as a requirement for infrastructure delivery prior to the development would need to be balanced appropriately. Ultimately, the independent inspector would need to assess that the Buckinghamshire Local Plan can be delivered by the development industry.

·         It was noted that while property prices in Buckinghamshire were notably higher than other areas, the cost of building the house was not considerably higher than other areas. Developers looked to build within Buckinghamshire as it was more profitable.

·         The importance of developing a complete Local Plan on time was highlighted. This was necessary to ensure that the right kind of developments were approved, e.g. truly affordable housing.

·         When consultation questionnaires are sent to Parish/Town Councils asking for similar types of information, they are aligned to go out at similar times, e.g. the Local Plan and LTP consultation requests.

·         Neighbourhood plans, when adopted, carry full weight within the planning decision process. Communities can benefit from the production of a neighbourhood plan and Town/Parish Councils looking to create one were encouraged to look at the Council’s website and get in touch. Neighbourhood plans can be very useful in highlighting things that are important in their local areas, it provides an element of control about where growth goes, in turn shaping their local community. They also provide an extra defence against speculative planning applications.

·         When the Buckinghamshire Local Plan is adopted, it will take precedence over Neighbourhood Plans that were completed before its adoption in the event of any conflict. The new Buckinghamshire Local Plan would take into account what was in those previously adopted Neighbourhood Plans. Neighbourhood Plans would probably need to be refreshed following adoption of the Buckinghamshire Local Plan to ensure they’re up to date and hold full weight within the planning process.

·         Modern design standards would be applied to new infrastructure and developments e.g. cycle lanes would be segregated from the road where possible. The new Plans would align with the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan to improve connectivity across the county.

·         It was noted that work was underway on a Parking review and Parking strategy. This would feed into work on the LTP. The Climate Change strategy would also contribute to future transport provision. EV charging points would be important for the future as electric vehicles rollout. Considerable work had been done on the Electric Vehicle Action Plan, Members were encouraged to review the update given to the Transport, Environment & Climate Change Select Committee on 3^rd November 2022.