20 December 2016 – Agenda
SUMMONS TO ATTEND A MEETING OF
NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN CONTINUITY COMMITTEE
TO: All Members of the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Committee
Cllrs B Austin (Chairman), D Bretherton (Deputy Chairman), P Cowell, D Dodds,
M Dyer, H Fickling, P Lambert, A Midwinter and M Stiles
Ex Officio (Voting) Members – L Emery (Town Mayor) and N Dixon (Deputy Mayor)
To: All other Members for information
VENUE: Upper Chamber, Thame Town Hall
DATE: Tuesday 20 December 2016
TIME: 7.30 pm (maximum two hours)
Graham Hunt
Clerk of the Council
Date: 14 December 2016
AGENDA
1. Apologies for Absence
2. Declarations of Interest and Dispensations
To notify of any items that appear in the agenda in which there may be an interest that has not been recorded in the Member’s Register of Interest; and confirmation of any relevant dispensations.
3. Public Participation and Public Questions
To consider applications from members of the public to address the Committee (5 minutes maximum), in respect of any item of business included in the agenda. Applications to speak must have been received by the Town Clerk no later than 5pm on the last working day preceding the meeting.
To consider questions from members of the public (who live, work or run a business in the Parish). Written questions must have been received by the Town Clerk no later than 4pm on the last working day preceding the meeting.
4. Minutes
To confirm as a correct record the Minutes of the Committee Meeting held on 8 November 2016.
5. Working Groups
To receive a report / update from the chairmen of:
a) The NPCC Co-Ordination Working Group
b) The Infrastructure Delivery Plan Working Group
c) The Green Living Plan Working Group
d) The Town Centre Working Group (including report from Market Town Co-Ordinator)
e) The Transport Plan Working Group
f) The Community Facilities Working Group
g) The Burial Space Working Group
6. Neighbourhood Plan / SODC
To receive an update on current discussions on the protection given by a Neighbourhood Plan when there is a lack of five year land supply at Planning Authority level and in particular the positive implications of the recent appeal decision at Bull Lane.
7. Neighbourhood Plan Amendment Process / Life beyond a Neighbourhood Plan
To receive an update on the Neighbourhood Plan Amendment Process, including information established in meeting with John Howell MP on Friday 16 December 2016.
8. Future Neighbourhood Plan Housing Allocations
To note that given the community’s response to the Local Plan 2032 Preferred Options consultation (which emphasised that the adopted Thame Neighbourhood Plan provides for all the fully sustainable growth needed by Thame up until 2027, and that actual housing provision is in practice being front loaded as opposed to being developed over the whole life time of the plan) that there has been some discussion on offering the possible time-lined prospect to the Planning Authority of potential acceptance of 50 housing units per year from 2028-2032.
9. Affordable Housing
To receive an update on the work of the sub-group in relation to the actual allocation of affordable housing within Thame and in particular on the issue of local occupation of affordable housing units.
10. Employment Land provision in Thame
To receive an update on employment land provision in Thame and in particular on the discussions of the Business Forum on Tuesday 22 November 2016.
11. Community Facility s106 Funds
Depending on the outcome of the Community Facilities Working Group scheduled for Wednesday 14 December 2016, there is potential that a similar approach to establish up-to-date requirements as that successfully used for Elms Park improvements may be required. That involved forward spending (at risk) s106 funds for Elms Park.
To consider whether to allocate (and forward spend at risk if necessary) s106 Community Facility funds to assist the Community Facilities Working Group in establishing the correct Community Facility for Thame.
12. Neighbourhood Plan / SODC Economic Development Team
To receive an update on discussions with SODC Economic Development Team on how planning applications impacting on economic development are processed and reviewed by SODC.
13. Neighbourhood Plan Support
Given Thame’s reputation for Neighbourhood Planning, and it’s ever increasing experience in life beyond the adoption of a Neighbourhood Plan, to note that the Neighbourhood Plan Continuity Officer has been interviewed by Planning Aid England for their e-bulletin UpFront, which is aimed at anyone with an interest in neighbourhood planning.
14. Oxford – Cambridge Expressway / East West Rail link
To note that there have been further discussions on the Oxford – Cambridge Expressway / East West Rail link (as both mentioned in the draft Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan), with news of further funding allocations and that one of the three expressway road options brings the route along the A418 and on to Aylesbury. An expressway is a dual-carriageway road designed to handle strategic traffic and built to deliver near-motorway levels of safety and resilience.
15. Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan (VALP)
To note that following recent changes to growth forecasts, Aylesbury Vale District Council is revising the housing numbers needed as they prepare the final version of their local plan (VALP). Their neighbouring authorities, Wycombe, Chiltern and South Bucks have also found more space for housing. All this means the latest figure for new homes in Aylesbury Vale is now below 27,000 – over 6,000 fewer new homes than the draft local plan included earlier this year. Such a large reduction in housing need requires the local plan to be significantly revised before the next stage. This means the consultation period of the final Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan is now likely to commence in April 2017, but dates have yet to be confirmed.
16. Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring and Delivery Report / Newsletter
To note that since the last meeting of the Committee, good further progress has been made on drafting the required updates to the Neighbourhood Plan Monitoring and Delivery Report as last published in January 2016. In line with the resolution on 27 September 2016, the aim is to circulate the draft report to Councillors for review, with the aim of publishing during January 2017.
17. South Oxfordshire District Local Plan
To note that South Oxfordshire District Council has now published the consultation responses received in response to its Local Plan 2032 Preferred Options consultation.