An update following suspension of the Examination.
Minutes:
Alistair Cunningham, Associate Director for Economic Development and Planning, gave a verbal presentation to the meeting, providing an update on the ongoing process for the Chippenham Site Allocation Plan. In giving his presentation, Mr Cunningham, started by apologising for the length of time that the process was taking, and for the uncertainty this may have caused Councillors and the wider Community.
Issues highlighted in the course of the presentation and discussion included: That the examination of the plan by the Planning Inspector was ongoing; that about 60% of local authorities had a Local Plan in place, of which Wiltshire was one; that Chippenham required an additional site plan to help plan for development at the town; that the Chippenham plan was submitted in July 2015 to a new Inspector, who gave an initial appraisal of the plan, and decided to proceed to a hearing; At the hearing the new Inspector expressed concerns about the merits of the 2 stage approach to site assessment, and raised issues regarding the deliverability of the plans; subsequently, the Inspector suspended hearings and asked for more evidence to be submitted; he advised that if this new evidence ended in significant changes to the plan then the Council may have to consider withdrawal of the plan; further discussion will take place with the Inspector on 21 January, where the timescale for this additional work will be discussed.
Alistair Cunningham went on to give a brief outline of the agenda for this meeting as set out by the Inspector. This included: purpose and expected outcomes of the suspension including additional matters to be addressed; position on current applications and permissions; how the Planning Advisory Service could be used to provide critical friend support; progress with the Council’s schedule of work. It was noted that the Council’s schedule of work was available on the Council’s website; that the Council would be looking at sites in more detail, before identifying the best sites, testing a number of reasonable alternative development strategies ; and that this should determine if the current plan can proceed as drafted.
It was acknowledged that there had been a number of applications registered in the area, and that these would be dealt with in the context of local and national policies on their own merits.
The Chairman thanked Mr Cunningham for his update, and invited questions from Members of the Public and Councillors present.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question by Marilyn MacKay, that the plan would be defined by the evidence; and that if the review of the evidence led to different proposals this may mean changes to the plan. He went on to note that Chippenham differed from other areas, as there were a number of possible sites, rather than one clear leading site, which made the judgement more finely balanced. He also restated his commitment to work to deliver the best outcome for the area.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Isabell McCord, that the Council was looking to review the evidence and update existing evidence where appropriate. The previous method identified the best potential areas and then undertook detailed work on sites within the areas. Now, though, the Council would be looking at sites in more detail within all areas.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Mel Moden, that when the figures for Wiltshire were considered, the sustainability of jobs was important. The Core Strategy Inspector rejected the Council’s original figure of 37,000 houses in Wiltshire, and suggested a figure of 42,000. The plan has to show that it can deliver jobs and infrastructure that can support this growth. He also noted that as people live longer, on their own, then that drives house growth; and that the National Policy guidance is, on balance, pro-development. Furthermore, the A350 is considered as a boundary for housing growth within the Plan; that no building would take place in the flood plain as part of the plan, and the policies in the plan would make sure that there would be equivalent or less water run-off than from the current greenfield sites proposed to be developed.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Tim Church, that all Councils need to demonstrate a five year supply of deliverable housing land at any point in time (5.25 years including contingency) within the housing market area. If the Chippenham DPD doesn’t move forward, it could make towns in the whole housing market area vulnerable to speculative development.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Andrew Stevenson, that the Council did review the position with regard to sites beyond the A350, and satisfied itself that it should not go west of that point for the purpose of the Plan. It was noted that the Inspector had not challenged this position.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Malcolm Toogood, that he would respond directly to the concerns raised about the data used to assess air quality and requested Mr Toogood put his question in writing.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Cllr Bill Douglas, as the plan was investigating a range of sites in more detail, then there was no presumed solution to transport infrastructure. With regard to the Eastern Link Road, if different sites are put forward then an alternative infrastructure strategy would be proposed as appropriate
.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Ian James, that in relation to the views of a drainage specialist emailed to the Council that it would be for the Inspector to agree who participates in any reopened hearing sessions.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Cllr Peter Hutton, that there had been a number of briefing notes for Wiltshire Councillors, and that he would be willing to attend future meetings where relevant.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Cllr Chris Caswill regarding the experience of SUDs and attenuation pond performance under pressure given recent floods in the North of England, that the Council would look at the evidence provided as to what plans would deliver, and that the Council had a good track record in ensuring this. Furthermore, with regard to the potential revision of EA models, that if each development is delivering equivalent or less run-off than the land it was built on, then there would not be an impact, irrespective of the models.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Cllr Chris Caswill regarding transport strategies, that modelling would be undertaken to consider the impact of alternative development strategies.
Alistair Cunningham stated, in response to a question from Cllr Chris Caswill, that it can be difficult to assess the cumulative impact of separate applications submitted, which is why the Council is working hard to progress the DPD to give it greater weight. Modelling information can help the Council determine the infrastructure requirements and the sustainability of individual major applications.
The Chair thanked the officer for attending, and encouraged people to attend the next meeting to receive a further update.