Agenda item

Local Plan for Lancaster District Climate Emergency Review: Formal Commencement of Review process and Launch of Scoping Consultation

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Hanson)

 

Report of Director for Economic Growth & Regeneration

Minutes:

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Hanson)

 

Cabinet received a report from the Director for Economic Growth & Regeneration to inform Cabinet of the recently adopted Local Plan for Lancaster District and to seek endorsement for the formal commencement of the Climate Emergency Review of the Local Plan, and, advise members of the review stages and processes, including the launch of the Scoping Consultation.

 

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

 

Option 1: To formally commence the Local Plan Review and undertake a Scoping Consultation.

 

Advantages: This will enable the Council to begin to implement its decision to review the Local Plan documents in the context of the Climate Emergency. The scoping provides an early opportunity for the local community, stakeholders, or any interested party to put their views forward on the scope and content of the plan. Given this review is not a full review of the Local Plan, there is much value in seeking clarity on which matters will be re-visited and which will not. 

 

Disadvantages: None known.

 

Risks: None known.

 

Option 2: To not formally commence the Local Plan Review and/or undertake a Scoping Consultation.

 

Advantages: None known.

 

Disadvantages: To not immediately commence the local plan review that the Council has just committed itself to would be a surprising decision and would send a confused message to the community and stakeholders on the Council’s intentions. Alternatively, to review the plan without the early engagement offered by the practice of a scoping consultation could lead to delays and unclarity later in the process, as issues may have been overlooked or not fully explored and considered.

 

Risks: To not commence the Climate Emergency Review of the plan, which the Council formally resolved to undertake on 29 July; and/or to proceed to review the local plan without a scoping stage consultation would not be to the benefit of the reputation of the Council.  To proceed without a scoping consultation introduces a risk, that is wholly avoidable, that an Inspector may not be content that the reviewed plan has been properly prepared due to inadequate community engagement.

 

The officer preferred option is Option 1: To formally commence the Local Plan Review and undertake a Scoping Consultation.  It is recommended that early engagement takes place with all interested parties to make clear that the review process has begun and to invite comments on the scope of the review.  The scoping will help clarify that this is an expeditious review of the plan’s policies in the context of the Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency and not a full review.

 

Cabinet is advised that evidence of early engagement in the plan-making process is important. An Inspector will consider the robustness of engagement in determining if the plan has been properly prepared. Evidence of proactive and constructive engagement with the local community and other key stakeholders in the process is expected. Should the Council fail to proactively engage, then this may become a significant issue later in the process and introduce an avoidable risk when it comes to examining the soundness of the plan. 

 

Councillor Hanson proposed, seconded by Councillor Frea:-

 

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

 

Councillors then voted:-

 

Resolved unanimously:

 

 

(1)        That the commencement of the “Climate Emergency” Review of the Local Plan for Lancaster District be formally endorsed in accordance with the commitment made at Council on 29 July 2020 and that the timetable described in Local Development Scheme (LDS) also approved by Council on 29 July 2020 be endorsed.  

 

(2)       That the launch of the first stage of the review process be endorsed; the scoping consultation, to run for the eight-week period from Friday 25 September to Friday 20 November 2020.

 

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

 

Director for Economic Growth and Regeneration

 

Reasons for making the decision:

 

A “Local Plan for Lancaster District” was adopted by Council on 29 July 2020. At the same meeting Council approved a new Local Development Scheme (the Local Plan preparation timetable) describing the intention to expeditiously review the just-adopted documents to provide the opportunity to give further consideration to the efficacy of policies in responding to climate change following the Council’s declaration of a Climate Emergency on 30 January 2019.  

 

Cabinet’s decision formally starts that review process and launches that process with a scoping consultation.  Cabinet will continue to be involved in the review process as the reviewed documents are developed and advanced towards a Council resolution to publish and submit the revised documents to Government.

 

Commencing the review and engaging the community on the scope of the review should help in providing clarity on the Council’s intentions for re-visiting the Local Plan in the context of the Climate Emergency declaration.

 

Supporting documents: