Archived decisions

Contact: Roger Lawes, ext 6743

1. Summary

1.1 The following decisions are sought:

That the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions be advised that Hampshire County Council:

1. In principle supports the need to:

(i) streamline the planning process;

(ii) encourage community engagement;

(iii) revise the scope and content of national planning policy guidelines; and

(iv) reform selected development control procedures and strengthen planning enforcement procedures.

2. Regrets that it cannot give the simple yes or no answers to the questions posed at the end of the Green Paper and recommends that, following consideration of all the comments on the Green Paper, a White Paper should be published providing the full details of the new planning system.

3. Considers that there are powerful and compelling reasons for County Councils to have a statutory responsibility in the preparation of Local Development Frameworks at both the local and sub-regional level not only to ensure the necessary cross-boundary integration of land use, transport and other social and community services, but also to enable a body of skills, knowledge and experience to be maintained to inform local, regional and European plan-making, implementation and conservation initiatives.

4. Considers that the integration of land use and transport planning with County Community Strategies can only be effectively achieved if County Councils have a statutory role in the preparation of Local and Sub-Regional Development Frameworks.

5. Considers that regional planning bodies would be unable to deal with local issues in the detail envisaged in the Green Paper and cautions against undermining the role of democratically elected members by transferring responsibility for the local interpretation of national and regional planning policy to unelected or remote regional planning agencies.

6. Considers that the objectives of speeding up the planning process and enhancing public involvement are not compatible and that if speeding up the process is a key aim, then more thought needs to be given to the framework for community engagement so that it supports rather than stifles or overburdens the role of elected representatives and is confined to relevant comments at appropriate stages of the process.

7. Welcomes the recognition that mineral and waste planning is best carried out at the county level in two tier authority areas. However, it regrets that the Green Paper has failed to grasp the wider resource management issues influencing planning for minerals and waste, and the opportunities provided by the review of the planning system to embrace natural resource management (soils, water, air, renewable energy) alongside minerals and waste planning.

8. Regrets the absence of any reference to County Council's retaining development control responsibilities for their own development especially as this power is crucial to the timely and effective delivery of social infrastructure (e.g. schools and social services facilities).

9. Believes that Government has failed to recognise the tensions between the need for development and the concerns of local communities and is naïve in its view that criteria based policies and simple mediation processes will overcome these problems, and is wrong to ignore the impact of legal challenges on both the plan making and development control process.

10. Submits as detailed comments in response to the questions posed in the Green Paper the report of the County Planning Officer to the Hampshire County Council Cabinet meeting on 25 February 2002.

11. Confirms that the County Council in consultation with its strategic and minerals and waste planning partners will continue to expedite the review of the Hampshire County Structure Plan and the Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton Minerals and Waste Local Plan within the general framework for policies outlined in the Green Paper.

2. Reason

2.1 To respond to a request by Government for comments on the Green Paper by 18 March 2002.

3. Other Options considered and rejected - Not applicable.

4. Conflicts of Interest declared by the decision maker or a member or officer consulted - Not applicable.

5. Dispensation granted by Standards Committee - Not applicable.

6. Reason(s) for the matter being dealt with if urgent - Not applicable.

Approved by: .................................. Date: ....................................

Councillor T K Thornber

7017A/RL