Issue - meetings

Cllr Fleur de Rhe Philipe, Cabinet member for Economic Development and Strategic Planning presented a report which requested Cabinet to note the content of the Inspector’s Report into the examination of the South Wiltshire Core Strategy Development Plan Document (DPD) and his conclusions regarding soundness. 

The report also sought approval for the South Wiltshire Core Strategy, as amended by the changes identified in the Inspector’s Report, being recommended to Full Council at its meeting on 7 February 2012 for adoption.

Cllr Fleur de Rhe Philipe presented the Inspector’s Report and draft South Wiltshire Core Strategy for Cabinet’s consideration. She explained the background to the Strategy following its endorsement by Council in November 2009 for the purposes of submitting it to the Secretary of State for consideration. However, the Examination in Public process was suspended in light of proposals to abolish the Regional Spatial Strategy and at the time the impending Localism legislation to enable the Council to reconsider the housing and employment figures.  It was agreed with the Inspector that a review be carried out, which was completed and approved for submission to the Inspector by Full Council  on 22 February 2011.

The target for housing growth was revised down to 9,900 and the target for jobs growth revised down to 10,400 over the plan period. Such changes were considered by the Inspector as ‘focussed changes’ and were the subject of consultation and the Examination process re-opened to consider these changes.

The Inspector’s Report delivered in October 2011, considered the Core Strategy sound and compliant with legal requirements.  The Inspector had recommended a number of changes that needed to be made to the submission draft Core Strategy to make it sound. Most of these changes were those put forward by the Council and were based on evidence. The Inspector had made two small changes and details of all changes were set out in Annexes to the report presented.

Once adopted, the South Wiltshire Core Strategy would replace a number of saved policies in the Salisbury Local Plan and would form part of the statutory development plan for the south of the County.  The policies within the South Wiltshire Core Strategy, had been subsumed into the Draft Wiltshire Core Strategy Submission Document which would be considered later in the meeting (minute no. 18 refers) to ensure delivery of a single Core Strategy for Wiltshire.

Cllr de Rhe Philipe emphasised that the Inspector’s Report was binding on the Council and the recommendations it contained must be adhered to. The Council therefore had the option of either adopting it or rejecting it but not to make any further changes. Rejection of the Inspector’s Report at this stage would result in there being no up to date development plan for the southern part of Wiltshire. This would leave a policy vacuum at a time when the Government had stated its intention to ensure that there was a presumption in favour of sustainable development in the absence of an up to date plan.

Resolved:

a)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17