Agenda item

Local Plan Adoption with Additional Modifications

Minutes:

Before the Committee was an urgent report and exempt annex by the Director for Economy, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes. Prior to hearing the item the Leader confirmed with members that they had received enough time to read and consider the report.

 

The report detailed that Worthing Borough Council must prepare a Local Plan to establish local planning policies for the Borough. After a number of years of preparation the Worthing Local Plan was entering the final stages towards adoption. The Local Plan was Submitted for Examination in June 2021, the Hearing Sessions were held in November 2021 and a Schedule of Modifications was consulted on during 2022.

 

The Local Planning Inspector issued his Report to the Council.  This summarised the Inspector’s key findings and his conclusion within the Report was that the Plan, as modified, was sound and legally compliant confirming the steps for formally adopting the local plan. The Local Plan was thereafter referred for adoption to the December 2022 Full Council Meeting.

 

Prior to Full Council, Officers became aware of a factual misrepresentation in the information that had been submitted to the Planning Inspector when considering his final report which is referred to in more detail at Paragraph 3 below. As result of the Misrepresentation the referral to Full Council for adoption in December was postponed to enable Officers to consider how best to resolve the Misrepresentation.

 

The Report 

 

·         Referenced under background papers the Report previously considered by The Joint Strategic Committee Sub-Committee on 8th November 2022 and approved for referral to Full Council;

 

·         Repeated the Recommendations for adopting the Local Plan to be referred to Full Council subject to the additional modifications proposed within the Report

 

Decision

 

That the Cabinet

 

1.    Approved the additional modifications referred to in this Report at Paragraph 5.1 (a)  and delegated authority to the Director for the Economy to make the additional modifications to the Local Plan.

 

2.    Referred the the Local Plan together with the additional modifications to full Council for approval, repeating the recommendations from the November JSC Sub-Committee which read as follows:- 

 

a.    Note the Inspector’s Report containing the Inspector’s main modifications to be made to the submitted Worthing Local Plan in order for it to be found sound (Appendix 1);

 

b.    Note the process of Sustainability Appraisal that has been followed and the likely significant effects of the Local Plan (together with Main Modifications);

 

c.    Note the schedule of Main Modifications (Appendix 2) to the Worthing Local Plan;

 

d.    Recommend to Full Council the adoption of the Worthing Local Plan and Policies Map (including main modifications and additional modifications relating to presentational improvements, factual updates, grammatical and typographical corrections at Appendix 3);

 

e.    Note that if the Local Plan is adopted a copy of the Final Sustainability Appraisal report, including a Sustainability Appraisal Post-Adoption Statement, will be made available for inspection alongside the Local Plan.

 

f.     To approve use of the Capacity Issues reserve to fund the additional £15,000 cost of the examination

 

 

Reason for Decision

 

Statutory requirement to set a Local Plan

 

Alternative options considered

 

As outlined in the report.

 

Call-in

 

The call-in deadline for decision (a) and (d) will be 5.00pm on Monday 13 February 2022. There is no call-in for recommendations to Full Council, 2 (a) to (e).