Agenda item

The Planning Policy Committee:

a)    Agreed the suggested changes in response to the consultation on the Additional Modifications, changes to the Policies Map, Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulations Assessment (Appendix A of the report).

b)    Recommended that Full Council adopt the Northampton Local Plan Part 2 (the plan), which incorporated the changes in Appendix A of the report, the changes recommended by the Planning Inspectors in their Final Report (Appendix B of the report) and other editorial changes reflecting the fact that the plan will be in its final form (Appendix C of the report).

c)     Noted the final versions of the Sustainability Appraisal (Appendix E of the report) and the Habitats Regulations Assessment (Appendix F of the report).

d)    Recommended that, if Full Council adopts the Northampton Local Plan Part 2, then the Central Area Action Plan (2013) and all the remaining saved policies within the Northampton Local Plan (1997) were thereby formally revoked.

e)    Delegated to the Assistant Director for Planning, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning, Built Environment and Rural Affairs, authority to make minor editorial and presentational changes to the plan.

The Planning Policy and Heritage Manager presented the report which sought Members’ agreement to the recommendation that Full Council should adopt the Northampton Local Plan Part 2. The Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination in February 2021 and Government-appointed Planning Inspectors conducted hearings about the Plan in November 2021. Following the hearings, proposals for the modification of the plan and the policies map were prepared to reflect the outcome of the hearing sessions and a note produced by the Inspectors following the close of the hearings. The Proposed Main Modifications were necessary to make the plan sound and were released for public consultation. Comments received were considered by the Inspectors who subsequently recommended that Further Main Modifications be released for consultation, which took place in November and December 2022. The Inspectors considered all the responses

received to the consultations and issued their Final Report, which recommended that the Plan be adopted, subject to some changes being made. Representations received in response to consultation on Proposed Additional Modifications and Changes to the Policies Map, which took place in July and August 2022, were also forwarded to the Inspectors and were considered by officers. A final version of the Plan was produced to take on board the recommendations in the Inspectors’ Final Report and comments from the consultation on the Additional Modifications and Changes to the Policies Map.

Members discussed the report and the following points were raised:

·       With regard to fast-food outlets near schools, this was a policy created following a motion passed by Northampton Borough Council, however the Inspector did not feel that the evidence to support it was sufficient.

RESOLVED:

The Planning Policy Committee:

a)    Agreed the suggested changes in response to the consultation on the Additional Modifications, changes to the Policies Map, Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulations Assessment (Appendix A of the report).

b)    Recommended that Full Council adopt the Northampton Local Plan Part 2 (the plan), which incorporated the changes in Appendix A of the report, the changes recommended by the Planning Inspectors in their Final Report (Appendix B of the report) and other editorial changes reflecting the fact that the plan will be in its final form (Appendix C of the report).

c)     Noted the final versions of the Sustainability Appraisal (Appendix E of the report) and the Habitats Regulations Assessment (Appendix F of the report).

d)    Recommended that, if Full Council adopts the Northampton Local Plan Part 2, then the Central Area Action Plan (2013) and all the remaining saved policies within the Northampton Local Plan (1997) were thereby formally revoked.

e)    Delegated to the Assistant Director for Planning, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning, Built Environment and Rural Affairs, authority to make minor editorial and presentational changes to the plan.