Agenda item

Report of the Director of Economic Growth and Regeneration.

Council considered a report of the Director of Economic Growth and Regeneration seeking a Council resolution to formally adopt the Strategic Policies & Land allocations DPD and a reviewed Development Management DPD as key components of the Local Plan for Lancaster District.

The report also presented the new Local Development Scheme (LDS) which described the future work on the Local Plan. Specifically, it set out the timescales for an immediate review of the Local Plan in the context of Climate Change and the Council’s Climate Emergency Declaration of January 2019.

Councillor Hanson, the Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy, and the Head of Planning and Place responded to a number of questions from Councillors before Councillor Hanson proposed:

“(1)    That the Council resolves to adopt both the Strategic Policies & Land Allocations DPD and the reviewed Development Management DPD as parts of the Local Plan for Lancaster District 2011–2031.

(2)     That the necessary measures are undertaken to publicise their adoption in accordance with national legislation.

(3)     That the July 2020 Local Development Scheme (LDS), attached to the report, and the approach to the publication of subsequent reviews, be approved. The LDS sets out the Council’s intention to proceed with an immediate Review of the Local Plan in the context of the Climate Emergency Declaration resolved by this Council in January 2019.

(4)     That, given the climate emergency declaration, Council will ask its officers to work with the local transport authority to ensure that car-borne traffic from a remodelled J33 is capable of being intercepted in South Lancaster as part of an integrated sustainable transport solution to managing traffic and prioritising sustainable modes of travel (above the private car) on the A6 corridor.’

Councillor Hanson also asked that her thanks and congratulations be placed on record to Planning and Housing Strategy Service Manager Maurice Brophy and his team of officers for the years of work they had put into producing a sound Local Plan.

Councillor Clifford seconded the proposition.

There was a short debate before Councillor Dowding proposed an amendment to the motion in the form of a change of words to (4) and an addendum by way of an additional proposal (5) as shown below:

(4)     Given the climate emergency declaration, Council will ask its officers to work with the transport authority to urgently explore alternatives to the M6 J33 reconfiguration, to remove the necessity for road building and deprioritise use of private cars on the A6 corridor.

(5)     Council will seek a review of housing need figures in July 2021 should there be emerging evidence of under-delivery against housing targets, or prospective failure to maintain a 5yr housing land supply, or employment data continues to show a sustained reduction.

The wordings had been circulated to all Councillors by email twenty minutes prior to the start of the meeting. In view of the short notice, the significance of the new proposal (5) and the fact that (4) and (5) were different issues, Councillor Dowding agreed to propose them as two separate amendments. She moved her addendum amendment (5) first, seconded by Councillor Bannon.

Councillors debated the addition of the amendment (5) to the proposed motion. The Mayor called for a roll call vote to be taken at the closure of the debate. With 26 Councillors voting ‘for’; 28 voting ‘against’ and two abstentions, the amendment was lost.

Councillor Dowding then proposed the amended wording to proposition (4), seconded by Councillor Bannon. Following debate on that amendment a roll-call vote was taken and the amendment was clearly lost.

Since no further amendments were proposed, debate then returned to Councillor Hanson’s substantive motion.

After a lengthy session of debate, the Mayor drew matters to a close, believing that the views of Councillors had been sufficiently represented. By that point, a greater number than ten Councillors had either requested or indicated support for a recorded vote in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 19.4.

A roll-call vote was taken and the results were recorded as follows:-

For the proposition: Councillors Anderton, Barber, Biddulph, Black, Boyd-Power, Bryning, Budden, Cleet, Clifford, Dant, Dennison, Evans, Firth, Frea, Gardiner, Greenall, Greenwell, Hanson, Hartley, Heath, Jackson (Joan), Jenkins, King, Knight (Geoff), Knight (Sarah), Lewis, Matthews, O’Dwyer-Henry, Parr, Penny, Pritchard, Redfern, Reynolds, Robinson, Scothern, Sinclair, Stubbins, Thornberry, Whearty, Whitaker, Whitehead, Whitworth and Wood (43).

Against the proposition: Councillor Bannon, Carrington, Dowding, Duggan, Guilding, Hamilton-Cox, Jackson (Caroline), Mills, Stubbins, Wild, Yates and Young (12).

Abstentions: Councillors Anderson and Brookes (2).

Resolved:

(1)     That the Council resolves to adopt both the Strategic Policies & Land Allocations DPD and the reviewed Development Management DPD as parts of the Local Plan for Lancaster District 2011–2031.

(2)     That the necessary measures are undertaken to publicise their adoption in accordance with national legislation.

(3)     That the July 2020 Local Development Scheme (LDS), attached to the report, and the approach to the publication of subsequent reviews, be approved. The LDS sets out the Council’s intention to proceed with an immediate Review of the Local Plan in the context of the Climate Emergency Declaration resolved by this Council in January 2019.

(4)     That, given the climate emergency declaration, Council will ask its officers to work with the local transport authority to ensure that car-borne traffic from a remodelled J33 is capable of being intercepted in South Lancaster as part of an integrated sustainable transport solution to managing traffic and prioritising sustainable modes of travel (above the private car) on the A6 corridor.

(The meeting adjourned at 8.50pm and reconvened at 9.00pm

in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.)