Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 3 August 2011.

The Minutes of the meeting held on 3 August 2011 were approved as a correct record.

Councillors and Officers to declare any interest that they may have in any of the items on the agenda.

No declarations were made.

The Service Director (Regeneration) will report at the meeting on the following aspects of the Allocations DPD:-

i)                    Outline of the Process

ii)                  Sustainability Appraisal

iii)                Draft Issues and Options Document

iv)                Consultation Process

v)                  Next Steps and Timetable

A representative of the Service Director (Place Development) submitted the draft Allocations DPD (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the outline of the DPD process, the sustainability appraisal, the draft Issues and Options document, consultation process, timetable.  The documents had been amended since the last meeting of the Working Party to reflect the views of the Working Party.  A representative of the Service Director (Place Development) requesting the Working Party to consider the updated draft document and provide comments. 

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·                The town centre was a strategic location for identifying as the focus of considerable development across a range of uses.

·                Greenbelt and no significant release of that land for development.

·                Addressing the issue of identifying gypsy and traveller sites for consultation.

·                The use of the words ‘adjacent district’ in the draft document and whether this meant only adjacent areas to Stockport or whether it should include AGMA, Cheshire East and High Peak.

·                The possibility of including commuted sums in applications for the development of children’s homes.

·                The issue of empty buildings, in particular former public houses, churches and shops and how this should be addressed.  

·                The protection of ‘legacy buildings.’

·                The percentage of shop frontages in district centres that consultees would see as acceptable for takeaways.

·                Whether proposed residential development in district centres could be an exception to the loss of A1 uses.

·                The importance of including a preamble to explain the document and purpose of the process.

A representative of the Service Director (Place Development) reported the following next steps:-

·                Public consultation on the Draft DPD would begin in mid October 2011.

·                Preferred options being drafted in February 2012 with a view to the Council’s Executive approving the draft in March 2012.  

·                Consultation on the preferred options in June 2012.

·                Winter 2012 – submitted to Council for approval.

·                Submission to Planning Inspectorate early 2013.

RESOLVED – (1) That any further feedback on the draft DPD be forwarded to the Service Director (Place Development) direct.

(2) That the Democratic Services Manager be requested to arrange a meeting of the Working Party to be held following the first stage of consultation.