Agenda item

The Planning Policy Committee:

a)    Agreed the content of the draft South Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2 –Employment Allocations Supplementary Planning Document, subject to changes being made to paragraph 3.2 to include a fuller extract from the local plan; paragraph 3.20 and the last sentence of page 38 to refer to exceptional circumstances for the consideration of larger units; and the inclusion of a new section following paragraph 1.27 to refer to cumulative impacts. The precise wording of these changes to be agreed with the Portfolio holder for Planning, Built Environment and Rural Affairs.

b)    Agreed that the Council should undertake a six-week public consultation on the document.

c)     Delegated authority to the Interim Head of Planning and Climate Change Policy to undertake minor editorial changes to the draft SPD including those in respect of paragraphs 1.14-1.22 and the details of the public consultation

The Planning Policy and Conservation Manager presented the report which sought to seek Members’ approval of the contents of the draft Employment Allocations Supplementary Planning Document and their agreement to undertake public consultation on the SPD. A 4^th recommendation was proposed in respect of the language used regarding the definition of larger units in the document, specifically paragraph 3.20 and the last sentence of page 38 of the report.

Brenda Stewart, on behalf of Save Towcester Now, addressed the Committee and stated that she supported development of SMEs but concerns regarding traffic and visual impacts had not been addressed. She requested that medium units be capped at 5,000 square metres and that all references to large units be removed from the document. Ms Stewart raised concern around the cumulative impact of developments on local highway systems.

The Planning Policy and Conservation Manager advised that the SPD spoke to “small” and “medium” units, so naturally “large” sat above medium. The SPD referenced large units using more cautious language (i.e., “in exceptional circumstances”). He further advised that wording could be included in reference to the cumulative impact on transport and noted that consideration of cumulative impacts on transport was a requirement in the National Planning Practice Guidance. He further noted that the Cosgrove and Old Stratford development was greater in scale than 5,000 square metres and the document used that in assessment of its parameters.

Members commented that some of the wording was weak; on page 62 where it stated, “Where possible contribute to the area’s wider green network, including habitat corridors and linkages.” It was felt that the wording should be stronger. It was also felt that the SPD should be aiming for net-zero rather than “pushing for” as it currently stated. Regarding modal shift, it was advised that there were policies within the Joint Core Strategy and the Part 2 Local Plan would include transport policies. The inclusion of Junction 15 of the M1 in the contextual consideration for the Old Stratford Gateway could be explored with consultants but it was noted that it was similar to Junction 15A in terms of scale. Consultation was scheduled to begin at the end of the week commencing 4^th July 2022.

RESOLVED:

The Planning Policy Committee:

a)    Agreed the content of the draft South Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2 –Employment Allocations Supplementary Planning Document, subject to changes being made to paragraph 3.2 to include a fuller extract from the local plan; paragraph 3.20 and the last sentence of page 38 to refer to exceptional circumstances for the consideration of larger units; and the inclusion of a new section following paragraph 1.27 to refer to cumulative impacts. The precise wording of these changes to be agreed with the Portfolio holder for Planning, Built Environment and Rural Affairs.

b)    Agreed that the Council should undertake a six-week public consultation on the document.

c)     Delegated authority to the Interim Head of Planning and Climate Change Policy to undertake minor editorial changes to the draft SPD including those in respect of paragraphs 1.14-1.22 and the details of the public consultation.