Issue - meetings

                       Report by Chief Executive Officer Alistair Cunningham

Cllr Toby Sturgis, Cabinet Member for Spatial Planning, Development Management and Investment introduced the report which (i) informed Cabinet of the Inspector’s Report on the examination of the Plan and his conclusions about legal compliance and soundness; (ii) sought approval for the Plan, as amended, to be recommended to Council for adoption; and (iii) sought approval for officers to undertake the final stages associated with the formal adoption of the Plan by the Council.

Cllr Sturgis explained that the Wiltshire Housing Site Allocations Plan has been prepared in accordance with the Wiltshire Core Strategy. Its purpose is to bring forward additional housing sites to support delivery of the Core Strategy housing requirement (42,000 homes over the period 2006-2026) and improve supply, as well as reviewing the settlement boundaries as defined on the Council’s policies map. He commented on the submission of the Plan in July 2018 to the Secretary of State for examination by an independent Inspector (as approved by Council), public hearing sessions and receipt of the Inspectors report on 23 January 2020.

The Cabinet noted that the report contained the Inspector’s assessment of the Plan and took into consideration the Council’s evidence and all representations received on the Plan during the Summer 2017 consultation and subsequent consultations on proposed modifications to it. The Inspector’s Report concluded that, with the recommended main modifications in the report being made, the Plan satisfied legislative requirements and met the criteria for soundness in the National Planning Policy Framework.

The Leader thanked officers for their work with parish and town councils in relation to Neighbourhood Plans.

In response to a question from Cllr Richard Britton about a shortfall in the 5 year land supply in the south of Wiltshire, Cllr Sturgis provided assurances that action was being taken on the shortfall and that additional sites would be included in the Plan for the southern area.

Resolved:

1.    Notes the content of the Inspector’s ‘Report on the Examination of the Wiltshire Site Allocations Plan’ (Appendix 1) and his conclusions regarding legal compliance and soundness.

2.    Accepts the Main Modifications set out in the Appendix to the Inspector’s Report, which the Inspector considers are necessary to make the plan sound in accordance with legislation.

3.    Agrees that additional minor modifications are made that arose during the examination or made in the interest of accuracy and consistency, as set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

4.    Recommends to Full Council that the ‘Wiltshire Housing Site Allocations Plan Submission draft Plan (July 2018)’, as amended by the Main Modifications as set out at (2) above and attached in Appendix 1 to the report and additional minor modifications as set out in (3) above and attached in Appendix 2 to the report, be adopted as part of the development plan for Wiltshire.

5.    Delegates authority to the Director of Economic Development and Planning in consultation with the Director of Legal, Electoral and Registration Services and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24