Agenda item

To consider a report from the Director for the Economy, a copy is attached as item 10.

Before the Committee was a report by the Director for the Economy, copies of which had been circulated to all Members and a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as Item 10. 

The report informed the Joint Strategic Committee and Council of the outcome of the Public Examination of the Shoreham Harbour Joint Area Action Plan (JAAP), and sought approval for the adoption of the plan by Adur District Council.

The JAAP, would become part of Adur’s statutory development plan alongside the adopted Adur Local Plan (ALP). The JAAP provided specific planning policies and site allocations to support the regeneration of the Shoreham Harbour area up to 2032. It would be used to determine planning applications within the Shoreham Harbour Regeneration Area.

The JAAP and the ALP were development plan documents (as defined in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004) and therefore carry equal weight in decision making. The JAAP had been prepared in conformity to the ALP. However, in the event of any conflicting policy, the most recently adopted plan (the JAAP) would prevail.

The JAAP would also be considered for adoption by West Sussex County Council (18 October 2019) and Brighton & Hove City Council (24 October 2019).

It was noted that the JAAP had been considered by the Adur Planning Committee on the 7 October 2019 and the following comments from the Committee were noted:-

• that material changes to the plan could not be made at this time;
• In regards to changes to the A259, there were no proposals to make changes at this time; and 
• In regards to the level of housing provision, the target of 1,100 homes, this figure may be exceeded as the values in the plan were minimums. 

A Member asked a question regarding the inclusion of a District Heating Scheme within the plan. Officers advised that they had been working with West Sussex County Council and had received funding for a number of studies into District Heating Networks for the Shoreham Harbour area. A considerable amount of funding (£164k) had been received from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to undertake a detailed project and development to take the project to a stage where it becomes an investable project. It was noted that there was still some uncertainty as different developments come forward at different times. However, developments such as Free Wharf has a communal heating system which has been designed in such a way that it could be connected to a future heat network. 

The Committee welcomed the report and thanked the Officers for their hard work.

Decision:  

The Joint Strategic Committee recommended that Adur District Council:-

1.    note the responses to the consultation on the main modifications to the Shoreham Harbour Joint Area Action Plan and the contents of the Inspector’s Report with her conclusion that the JAAP, as modified, is legally compliant and ‘sound’;

2.    note and consider any comments by the Planning Committee of 7 October 2019 on the Shoreham Harbour Joint Area Action Plan, the Inspector’s Report, Main Modifications and/or revised Adur Policies Map 2019;

3.    adopt and publish the Shoreham Harbour Joint Area Action Plan, incorporating the main modifications and minor modifications, as part of the Development Plan for Adur;

4.    adopt and publish the Adur Policies Map 2019 (and Inset Maps), incorporating the policies and proposals in the Shoreham Harbour Joint Area Action Plan (this will supersede the Adur Local Plan Policies Map 2017 and Inset Maps);

5.    revoke the Shoreham Harbour Interim Planning Guidance and Western Harbour Arm Development Brief, which are superseded by the Shoreham Harbour Joint Area Action Plan; 

6.    delegate authority to the Head of Planning and Development to make any further minor non-material changes to the text of the plan, or to the content of the policies map in consultation with Brighton & Hove City Council and West Sussex County Council.

Call In: 

There is no call-in for recommendations to Council.