Agenda item

Report of the Director of Regeneration and Economy

Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Regeneration and Economy which indicated that Local Plans should be considered for review at least once every five years, as laid out in Paragraph 33 of the National Planning Policy Framework and (Regulation 10A of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012).

As the Local Plan was adopted in December 2017, Council approved the commencement of a full review of the Local Plan on 6th December 2022 with the objective of ensuring policies are up to date, in line with changes to national policy and guidance, and that they continue to reflect local priorities. Cabinet noted that the Coventry City Area Action Plan, was adopted alongside the Local Plan, and this will be incorporated in this review. Therefore, all references to ‘The Local Plan’, ‘The Plan’ and ‘Plan Review’ incorporate both documents.

Each policy in the 2017 Local Plan has been considered in turn in the context of current legislation and guidance and, where appropriate, updated evidence. The Reviewed Local Plan includes some polices that are unchanged from 2017, some with varying degrees of change and, where necessary, some new policies.

Consultation has been undertaken in line with the relevant regulations and the adopted Statement of Community Involvement to ensure that individuals, communities, stakeholders, and other organisations have ample opportunity to engage through a variety of means. The established planning policy database will directly notify those registered at the launch of the consultation.

Having completed the mandatory stages of consultation in Plan making, approval was now sought to submit the reviewed Local Plan for examination with the Planning Inspectorate and delegate authority to the Director of Regeneration and Economy, following consultation to the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities to make the necessary arrangements for examination including any modifications requested to the Plan during the examination period. Further to examination and upon receipt of a report from the Planning Inspectorate that the Plan has been found to be ‘sound’, the Local Plan will return to Council for adoption.

The report indicated that the Regulation 19 Version of the full Local Plan has been produced further to earlier stages of consultation and engagement and officers consider should be submitted to the Secretary of State for public examination. It therefore contains the information and detail that would be found in an adopted Local Plan.

The Regulation 19 Plan is informed by an up-to-date evidence base, which has been published in full alongside the Regulation 19 consultation. In the formulation of the reviewed Plan, officers and the Local Plan Advisory Panel have considered feedback from the Regulation 18 and Regulation 19 consultations, alongside the relevant expert evidence.

The Local Plan Review contains the following development targets for the 2021-2041 plan period:

•  29,100 dwellings;

•  60ha employment land;

The proposed development targets are informed by the 2022 Coventry and Warwickshire HEDNA (Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment) and additional updated evidence. Development that has already been completed in the 2021-2041 period counts towards these targets and therefore new allocations proposed within the plan are for the quantities of additional development required to achieve these overall targets.

The Local Plan Review does not propose any changes in respect of Greenbelt boundaries or designations. All newly proposed development allocations are on previously developed land and therefore in line with the Local Authorities ‘brownfield first’ approach to identifying development land.  In pursuing an approach of ‘brownfield first’ and protection of the City’s remaining areas of Greenbelt, the Regulation 19 Version also reviews the policy areas of development density and design. This approach is in alignment with National Governments priority for higher density development within urban areas, alongside locally embedding high quality standards upon design and internal living spaces.

The City of Coventry has a tightly-drawn administrative boundary and therefore development land is always in short supply. Through the allocation of brownfield development sites, the Council is able to identify land to meet the overall target of 29,100 dwellings. However, at this stage and notwithstanding a dedicated ‘call for sites’ being undertaken for employment land, identification of land to meet the overall employment land need has not been possible. The Council recognises the need to support the local economy and enable job creation and continues to work with our Duty to Cooperate partners to consider strategic options for meeting this need in the absence of suitable available sites within the city.

The Local Plan Advisory Panel has made clear the priority for the delivery of Social Rented housing and a suitable mix of house types to meet the needs of communities within the city. To the end, the policies proposed within the Reviewed Local Plan include the following changes:

•  Reduced threshold for the provision of Affordable Housing on new development sites – any site over 10 dwellings should now provide Affordable Housing

•  An increased proportion of Social Rented housing on all qualifying sites

•  Adoption of Nationally Described Space Standards for all new housing  developments

In respect of Climate Change, the Regulation 19 Plan includes new and revised policies seeking to reduce the negative environmental impacts of new development. These policies are proposed to surpass current Building Regulations requirements for both residential and non-residential new build requirements, and policies are included for the setting of new standards for developers to meet for on-site renewable energy generation, restrictions in the use of fossil fuels and improved thermal efficiency.

The Plan review has undertaken to develop policy to guide the highest possible quality of development throughout the city, this includes both the development of new policy standards, and also a review of the engagement of current policy in the past plan period. Where additional clarity has been identified as being required, or modifications to be responsive to market delivery this has also been incorporated into policy development.

There are several policy areas where the Council would have wished to set higher and more ambitious standards for new development to meet our wider aspirations for the city and its communities, however national planning guidance requires that the viability of development is considered when formulating local planning policy. To that end, the viability implications of the policy proposals within the Reviewed Local Plan have been fully assessed and have iteratively informed the policy detail. The Plan therefore seeks to deliver a balanced set of changes to policy that will enable development to sustainably meet the needs of the city.

The report provides information in relation to the following:-

·  Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework

·  Technical Requirements

·  Public Consultation on the Proposed Submission

RESOLVED that Cabinet endorses the submission of the draft Coventry Local Plan at Appendix 1 – 5 together with relevant associated documentation for independent examination by the Secretary of State and recommends that Council:-

(1)  Approves the submission of the draft Coventry Local Plan at Appendix 1 – 5 together with relevant associated documentation for independent examination by the Secretary of State.

(2)  Directs that submission is accompanied by a request that the Inspector appointed to carry out the examination recommends any modifications necessary to make the Coventry Local Plan sound and legally compliant in accordance with Section 20(7C) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended).

(3)  Delegates authority to the Director of Regeneration and Economy, following consultation with Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, to take or authorise such steps as may be necessary for the independent examination of the Coventry Local Plan to be completed including but not limited to:

a)  make appropriate arrangements for submission of the Coventry Local Plan and the completion and submission of all documents relating to the Coventry Local Plan;

b)  Make all necessary arrangements for examination including:

·  the appointment of a Programme Officer;

·  the undertaking and/or commissioning of other work necessary to prepare for and participate at examination;

·  proposing main and/or minor modifications to the Plan and/or modifications to the Policies Map;

·  entering into Memorandums of Understanding and Statements of Common Ground; and

·  the delegation to officers and other commissioned experts to prepare and submit evidence, representations and submissions to the examination and, where necessary, appear at any hearing sessions and represent the council; and

c)  Implement any consequential actions relating to the examination, including undertaking any consultation that may be necessary, and publishing the recommendations and reasons of the person appointed to carry out the examination.