The Service Director (Regeneration) will report at the meeting on the following aspects of the Allocations PDP:-
i) Outline of the Process
ii) Sustainability Appraisal
iii) Draft Issues and Options Document
iv) Consultation Process
v) Next Steps and Timetable
Minutes:
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 and requesting the Working Party to consider the draft document and provide comments.
Representatives of the Service Director (Place Development) explained that the Allocations DPD would take the Core Strategy as the starting point, following its vision and objectives and that the DPD would replace the majority of the remainder of the Unitary Development Plan (UDP). The DPD would set out policies and site allocations for a range of uses as well as identifying sites that had or would have safeguarding and protection issues. The DPD would identify issues on a more localised basis than the Core Strategy including more detail on specific areas.
A ‘call for sites’ had already been undertaken, with 160 sites identified and assessed under the Core Strategy framework.
The following comments were made/issues raised:-
Housing
· Housing supply and the most suitable locations for sustainable development.
· Housing development being targeted in the Town Centre and areas immediately surrounding it.
· The need for affordable housing provision.
· The difference between affordable and social housing provision needed to be defined/discussed in the DPD.
· The issue of developers providing affordable housing in the current economic climate.
· Consideration of key sites for the provision of affordable housing – the Core Strategy had set the baseline figure for the provision of affordable housing on development sites subject to viability considerations.
· Officers advised that the Allocations DPD may be helpful to encourage development of sites which were able to deliver a large number of houses and, in particular, affordable housing.
Retail
· The Core Strategy set out ‘exclusion zones’ as part of the hot food takeaway policy.
· The dominance of takeaways in some district and local centres across the Borough.
· Exploring ways to keep district and local centres viable with a range of shops and retail types.
· Councillors discussed an example of a London Borough where takeaway owners made a contribution towards the costs of street cleansing. A representative of the Service Director (Place Development) committed to investigate this issue.
· The balance between shops being left empty in comparison to a prevalence of takeaways in a district or local centre.
· The need to consider the difference between the daytime economy and the night time economy.
· The Town Centre competing with large shopping centres nearby.
· Car parking charges in district and local centres.
· The need to encourage ‘footfall’ in district and local centres and the Town Centre.
· The protection of small, local businesses in district and local centres.
Employment
· The impact of the proximity to Manchester Airport and the development of the Airport Village with enterprise zone status.
Open Space
A representative of the Service Director (Place Development) explained that Cheadle was the only area in the borough with a greater than standard level of open space provision. With the exception of the Heatons wards, that were considered to have the standard level of open space provision, all other areas across the borough had slightly less open space provision than the standard level.
Consultation Process
A representative of the Service Director (Place Development) reported that there would be a six week public consultation process including advertising, attending Area Committee meetings to take part in Open Forums and discussing the DPD with interested parties/groups.
A representative of the Service Director (Place Development) agreed to consider further options for promoting the consultation process to ensure as wide a range of feedback as possible was gained.
Next Steps
A representative of the Service Director (Place Development) reported that it was hoped to have the DPD in place as soon as possible but the Working Party agreed that it was more important to get the DPD right.
The Working Party were requested to consider a date for the next meeting to reconsider the draft Issues and Options Consultation of the DPD before the consultation period began.
A representative of the Service Director (Place Development) reported that beyond the Issues and Options consultation stage, the Council would need to undertake a further consultation on a proposed Preferred Option which would guide the final version of the DPD.
RESOLVED – That the Democratic Services Manager be requested to arrange a meeting of the Working Party to take place in September 2011.