Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 29 August 2023.

The minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 29 August 2023 were approved as a correct record.

Councillors and officers to declare any interests which they have in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

Councillors and Officers were invite to declare any interest that they had in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made.

To consider a report of the Assistant Director Planning and Place Making.

Since the last meeting of the Development Plan Working Party, the government has published its revised version of the NPFF (December 2023).  The report will outline the key areas of change in that document, the implications for the Stockport Local Plan and the next stages.

The Development Party is requested to note the report and offer any comments.

Officer contact: Steve Johnson 0161 474 3509 Email:  steven.johnson@stockport.gov.uk

The Assistant Director Planning and Place Making submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated).  Since the last meeting of the Development Plan Working Party, the government had published its revised version of the NPFF (December 2023).  The report outlined the key areas of change in that document, the implications for the Stockport Local Plan and the next stages.

RESSOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Assistant Director Planning and Place Making.

The report updates the Working Party on the Local Development Scheme.

The Development Plan Working Party is requested to note the report and offer any comments.

Officer contact: Steve Johnson 0161 474 3509 Email: steven.johnson@stockport.gov.uk

The Assistant Director Planning and Place Making submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which updated the Working Party on the Local Development Scheme.

The following comments were made/issues raised:

·         What is the relevance now of consultation regulation 18 that took place in 2017?  It was felt that things needed to move quickly given the timescales being imposed by the government and furthermore, the elections taking place in May and a general election that would happen in the coming months. In response, the Working Party was advised that this was illustrative of the journey that the Council had been on with the local plan.  What are the issues that need to be addressed in Stockport? It was hoped that a draft plan could be produced by the end of March but to get there would require a great deal of work.  The general election should be of no impact on undertaking consultation in the way that it does with the pre-election period of a local election, although the time frame remained very tight.

·         The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act has introduced a new plan making system but how this will work in practice is still being worked out. A lot of the work already done would be useful in the new system, but the detail of the new arrangements was still unclear.

·         A discussion took place regarding the number of houses that were needed and where, supply of land and whether this would be sufficient and when the detail on this would be available.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

This item will provide Members with an opportunity to discuss any critical matters that they wish the Development Plan Working Party to have sight of between now and the Local Plan going out to consultation in the summer.

Officer contact: Steve Johnson 0161 474 3509 Email:  steven.johnson@stockport.gov.uk

This item provided Members with an opportunity to discuss any critical matters that they wish the Development Plan Working Party to have sight of between now and the Local Plan going out to consultation in the summer.

The following comments were made/issues raised:

·         Members felt that a further meeting in April would be useful and also to look at what the land supply situation is at that time. Members requested clarification on the 20% buffer and were advised that this related to the housing delivery test and at the present time there was no need for a buffer in Stockport.

·         A huge amount of work has taken place and there is a need to move forward but with other changes that are likely to be introduced it may be necessary to feed into more meetings that this one. In Section 60 of the NPFF there was mention of a mixture of housing, Members requested like more information on this.

RESOLVED – That the verbal report be noted.