Agenda item

1.            That the Strategic Planning Manager be authorised to sign and submit the Statement of Common Ground set out at Appendix 1 of Report CAB3174 to the Planning Inspector holding the examination of Eastleigh Local Plan.

2.            That authority be granted to the Strategic Planning Manager, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Built Environment and Wellbeing, to make any minor edits to clarify the Statement of Common Ground as attached, prior to submission to the Inspector.

Councillor Porter introduced the report and the Strategic Director confirmed that Eastleigh Borough Council had now approved the Statement of Common Ground.

At the invitation of the Deputy Leader, Councillors Brook, Bronk and Horrill addressed Cabinet as summarised below.

Councillor Brook

·         She welcomed the report and retention of objections 1 and 2 as agreed previously by her as Portfolio Holder

·         She supported the report on the basis that the City Council was required to be party to  a Statement of Common Ground, however remained concerned regarding the lack of evidence for policy and data being missing;

·         She acknowledged the potential difficulties caused by having no agreed Local Plan but considered these applied equally to a poorly evidenced plan.

Councillor Bronk

·         He was a Ward Member and resident of Colden Common and he had submitted comments to Eastleigh Borough Council (EBC) in a personal capacity.  These related to concerns regarding the impact on the countryside, particularly ancient woodland;

·         He understood that the City Council was not able to challenge EBC’s site selection.

·         He requested a change to Paragraph 14 of the statement be strengthened to require that the link road be constructed prior to a substantial element of the development being constructed;

·         He also emphasised that substantial improvements were required to existing roads in the area.

Councillor Horrill

·         She requested that Ward Councillors be notified of any changes to the Statement prior to publication;

·         General concern regarding the process used by EBC in preparation of their Local Plan and a request that the Inspector be made aware of the lack of community consultation;

·         Concern that the requirements of the duty to cooperate had not been met;

·         Concern that the EBC response detailed at paragraph 11.19 of the report implied an element of bargaining with the Council for example in relation to the Botley by-pass;

In response, the Strategic Director advised:

·         With regard to phasing of the link road, it would not be reasonable for the Council to require it to be wholly in place before any occupations took place;

·         The  County Council as Highway Authority would  need to be satisfied by proposals for  interim arrangements;

·         With regard to the duty to cooperate, this related to fundamental issues between the authorities (such as housing numbers or management of important infrastructure) and was not a duty to agree.  On this basis, it was now reasonable to conclude the duty to cooperate had been fulfilled;

·         He emphasised that although the Council could not reasonably refuse to safeguard the route of the road on which an EBC development was based, this did not amount to consent.

·         Any further changes to the Statement were likely to be very minor in basis and Ward Councillors would be informed.

Cabinet agreed to the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the Report.

RESOLVED:

1.            That the Strategic Planning Manager be authorised to sign and submit the Statement of Common Ground set out at Appendix 1 to the Planning Inspector holding the examination of Eastleigh Local Plan.

2.            That authority be granted to the Strategic Planning Manager, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for the Built Environment and Wellbeing, to make any minor edits to clarify the Statement of Common Ground as attached, prior to submission to the Inspector.