Agenda item

The following notice of motion had been submitted by the Liberal Democrat Group:

“Broxtowe Borough Council notes that:

 

  1. The Government is consulting on to overhaul the planning system.
  2. The reforms to existing planning rules would allow fast track permissions for offices and retail centres to be converted to houses; and extra storeys to be added to existing housing and flats.  
  3. The assessment of local housing need and the threshold below which developers are required to contribute to affordable housing will also be changed.
  4. In the future reforms proposed in the Planning for the Future consultation published on the 6 August 2020, land will be categorised into growth, renewal or protection zones;

 

                           I.        ‘Growth’ areas will allow planning permission in principle if a site is designated a development site in the local plan.

                          II.        Renewal’ areas will be subject to a statutory ‘presumption in favour of development’

                        III.        ‘Protection’ areas will be where development will be discouraged.   

 

E.   The Government has already laid new regulations allowing Permitted Developments that do not provide adequate environmental standards to counter Climate Change dangers 

 

Broxtowe Borough Council recognises:

 

1.    The need to build more housing to prevent homelessness and provide adequate, affordable and suitable accommodation for everyone, and the failure of successive governments to address the issue.

  1. That councils currently approve nine in ten applications.
  2. That the Local Government Association findings show that over a million homes have planning permission but remain unbuilt.

 

Broxtowe Borough Council believes that:

 

  1. The planning system is not the cause of low build-out numbers.
  2. These proposals reduce democratic accountability and public scrutiny undermining the ability of councils to determine planning applications. 
  3. These proposals significantly reduce the scope for public participation and influence on planning applications within local communities.
  4. The proposed changes would favour development interests over those of local communities.
  5. Delegation of detailed planning decisions to planning officers, rather than a democratically elected planning committee fails to recognise the role that public democratic scrutiny has in ensuring decisions are fair, transparent, with any impacts fully considered.
  6. The reforms restrict a planning authorities' ability to set local planning policies in line with the needs of their area and community aspirations, undermining the plan-led system, disempowering councils and communities.
  7. Replacing the Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 payments with centrally imposed housing targets and a national levy, will likely result in less money for affordable housing, sustainable transport and other critical infrastructure. 
  8. The effort to speed up applications risk watering down or removing the requirement altogether for Strategic Environmental Assessments, Environmental Impact Assessments and similar assessments.  
  9. The proposals do not sufficiently take into consideration the Climate Change Act 2008 provisions that address carbon dioxide emission standards for future housing stock.
  10. The proposals put at risk archaeology and heritage by undermining pre-commencement archaeological conditions in the development process.

 

Broxtowe Borough Council commits to:

 

  1. Empower local democracy.
  2. Provide the infrastructure the borough needs.
  3. Provide truly affordable good quality housing.
  4. Support housing with high standards of design, amenity, space.
  5. Achieve the smallest possible carbon footprint from housing.

 

Broxtowe Borough Council strongly objects to these proposals and rejects the arbitrary housing targets and reduction of local control proposed in the consultation paper.”

 

Minutes:

“Broxtowe Borough Council notes that:

 

  1. The Government is consulting on to overhaul the planning system.
  2. The reforms to existing planning rules would allow fast track permissions for offices and retail centres to be converted to houses; and extra storeys to be added to existing housing and flats.  
  3. The assessment of local housing need and the threshold below which developers are required to contribute to affordable housing will also be changed.
  4. In the future reforms proposed in the Planning for the Future consultation published on the 6 August 2020, land will be categorised into growth, renewal or protection zones;

 

                           I.        ‘Growth’ areas will allow planning permission in principle if a site is designated a development site in the local plan.

                          II.        Renewal’ areas will be subject to a statutory ‘presumption in favour of development’

                        III.        ‘Protection’ areas will be where development will be discouraged.   

 

E.   The Government has already laid new regulations allowing Permitted Developments that do not provide adequate environmental standards to counter Climate Change dangers 

 

Broxtowe Borough Council recognises:

 

1.    The need to build more housing to prevent homelessness and provide adequate, affordable and suitable accommodation for everyone, and the failure of successive governments to address the issue.

  1. That councils currently approve nine in ten applications.
  2. That the Local Government Association findings show that over a million homes have planning permission but remain unbuilt.

 

Broxtowe Borough Council believes that:

 

  1. The planning system is not the cause of low build-out numbers.
  2. These proposals reduce democratic accountability and public scrutiny undermining the ability of councils to determine planning applications. 
  3. These proposals significantly reduce the scope for public participation and influence on planning applications within local communities.
  4. The proposed changes would favour development interests over those of local communities.
  5. Delegation of detailed planning decisions to planning officers, rather than a democratically elected planning committee fails to recognise the role that public democratic scrutiny has in ensuring decisions are fair, transparent, with any impacts fully considered.
  6. The reforms restrict a planning authorities' ability to set local planning policies in line with the needs of their area and community aspirations, undermining the plan-led system, disempowering councils and communities.
  7. Replacing the Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 payments with centrally imposed housing targets and a national levy, will likely result in less money for affordable housing, sustainable transport and other critical infrastructure. 
  8. The effort to speed up applications risk watering down or removing the requirement altogether for Strategic Environmental Assessments, Environmental Impact Assessments and similar assessments.  
  9. The proposals do not sufficiently take into consideration the Climate Change Act 2008 provisions that address carbon dioxide emission standards for future housing stock.
  10. The proposals put at risk archaeology and heritage by undermining pre-commencement archaeological conditions in the development process.

 

Broxtowe Borough Council commits to:

 

  1. Empower local democracy.
  2. Provide the infrastructure the borough needs.
  3. Provide truly affordable good quality housing.
  4. Support housing with high standards of design, amenity, space.
  5. Achieve the smallest possible carbon footprint from housing.

 

Broxtowe Borough Council strongly objects to these proposals and rejects the arbitrary housing targets and reduction of local control proposed in the consultation paper.”

 

A recorded vote was called for by Councillor D Grindell and seconded by at least five councillors.

 

On being put to the meeting the motion was passed and the voting was as follows:

 

For

Against

Abstention

D Bagshaw

E H Atherton

L Fletcher

S A Bagshaw

L A Ball BEM

J C Patrick

B C Carr

M Brown

 

S J Carr

M J Crow

T A Cullen

E Cubley

 

R H Darby

S Easom

 

D A Elliott

J C Goold

 

D Grindell

M Handley

 

T Hallam

R I Jackson

 

L A Lally

E Kerry

 

P Lally

S Kerry

 

H Land

H G Khaled MBE

 

R D MacRae

J M Owen

 

G Marshall

P J Owen

 

J W McGrath

J P T Parker

 

M Radulovic MBE

D D Pringle

 

R S Robinson

P Roberts-Thomson

 

H E Skinner

P D Simpson

 

C M Tideswell

R D Willimot

 

I L Tyler

 

 

D K Watts

 

 

E Williamson