Agenda item

To consider a report of the Executive Councillor (Economic Development & Regeneration)

The report sets out the implications of applications submitted by Woodford Community Council seeking to establish the Woodford Neighbourhood Forum and Woodford Neighbourhood Area under the provisions of the Localism Act 2011. The report also seeks the Council’s determination of those applications.

(1) The Executive is asked to determine, in the light of the information contained within this report and the views of the Environment & Economy Scrutiny Committee and the Bramhall & Cheadle Hulme South Area Committee, which of the following options should be commended to the full Council meeting:

a)    approve designation of the area shown on the plan in Appendix D as the Woodford Neighbourhood Area.  The recommended area excludes the SEMMMS road scheme corridor but includes the Woodford Aerodrome Opportunity Site; or

b)   approve designation of the area shown on the plan in Appendix E as the Woodford Neighbourhood Area.  The recommended area excludes both the SEMMMS road scheme corridor and the Woodford Aerodrome Opportunity Site.

(2) Subject to having regard to the views of the Environment & Economy Scrutiny Committee and the Bramhall & Cheadle Hulme South Area Committee, the Executive is recommended to approve the designation of Woodford Neighbourhood Forum as the neighbourhood forum for the Woodford Neighbourhood Area.

Officer contact: Richard Wood, 0161 474 4386, richard.wood@stockport.gov.uk

The Executive Councillor (Economic Development & Regeneration) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Executive Meeting to consider an application received from Woodford Community Council to establish the Woodford Neighbourhood Forum and Woodford Neighbourhood Area in accordance with the provisions of the Localism Act 2011. The report set out the legal background to the applications, details of consultation responses, and other matters pertinent to the determination of the application. The views of the Bramhall & Cheadle Hulme South Area Committee and the Environment & Economy Scrutiny Committee were also reported.

The Leader of the Council clarified that the following additional documents had been circulated:-

·         excerpts of recently published National Planning Policy Guidance relating to neighbourhood planning;

·         a letter from Harrow Estates’ Legal Director;

·         legal advice provided to Woodford Community Council;

·         a further letter on behalf of Woodford Community Council detailing their counsel’s view of the letter from Harrow Estates; and

·         a letter from Poynton with Worth Town Council.

The Leader of the Council further clarified that the report had also been re-circulated with a correction of the minor formatting error that had resulted in changes to the paragraph numbering.

The Executive Councillor (Economic Development & Regeneration) acknowledged the arguments put forward by the Woodford Community Council for the inclusion of the Woodford Aerodrome Opportunity Site in the Neighbourhood Area (including the legal advice they had received) and the support for this position from local councillors, the local MP and bodies from neighbouring areas. He also acknowledged the arguments put forward by the owners of this site for its exclusions from the Area.

The Executive Councillor stated that the Council had sought its own legal advice and he was satisfied that the relevant legislation and guidance granted the Council broad discretion in determining applications of this nature, and that it was a matter of judgement for the Council whether or not any given site was appropriate for designation. The Executive Councillor stated that having considered all the information in detail, and having regard to all material factors arising in respect of the land, he was advising the Executive that it recommend that the Council Meeting approve the Neighbourhood Area as proposed, but with the exclusion of the SEMMMS corridor and the Woodford Aerodrome Opportunity Site as they were not considered appropriate for inclusion in the designation. The Executive Councillor set out the reasons for this, in addition to those already contained in the report.

RESOLVED – That the Council Meeting be recommended to approve the application for the designation of a Woodford Neighbourhood Area and the creation of Neighbourhood Forum in accordance with the plan shown at Appendix E of the report, excluding the SEMMMS Road scheme corridor and the Woodford Aerodrome Opportunity Site, on the following grounds:-

(In relation to the SEMMMS Road Scheme Corridor)

·         The road scheme was a key part of the wider South East Manchester Multi-Modal Strategy, with clear implications for the wider sub-region and beyond.

·         The SEMMMS road schemes (and predecessor schemes dating back many years) had been given considerable policy support in both statutory development plan and Council transport policy terms.  Currently this was afforded by ‘saved’ UDP Review policy ST2.2 (“Protection for Major Road Schemes”) and Core Strategy Core Policy CS10 (“An Effective and Sustainable Transport Network”).

·         A planning application was expected for the road scheme imminently. Assuming that planning permission was granted, work was expected to start in late 2014, with the scheme scheduled for completion by late 2017.  As such the planning issue relating to the SEMMMS road scheme would be resolved through the grant of permission and development commenced well in advance of the completion of any neighbourhood plan.

·         The road scheme proposals had been subject to a significant amount of consultation over a long period, in particular since their inclusion in the 2001 SEMMMS strategy.

(In relation to the Woodford Aerodrome Opportunity Site)

·         The aerodrome site had been the subject of express policy and guidance within the adopted development plan.

·         The site was recognised in the Core Strategy as having borough wide dimension and significance.

·         The site was the subject of a detailed Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) recently adopted by the Council which set out the economic, social and environmental objectives arising from relevant development plan policies.  The SPD had been the subject of substantial consultation, well above and beyond that required by statute. The introduction of a further level of planning policy through a neighbourhood plan had the potential to cut across the guidance in the SPD.

·         The aerodrome site and its development was likely to generate planning consequences which were not limited to Woodford and may well be of Borough or wider significance.  As such, any referendum on an emerging neighbourhood plan would be likely to be required to extend over a much wider area than the settlement of Woodford and the proposed Neighbourhood Area.  This was indicative that the inclusion of the site within the Neighbourhood Area was not appropriate.

·         A planning application was likely to be forthcoming imminently for development of the site.  As such the progress of a neighbourhood plan which included the site through its statutory stage was likely to give rise to considerable wasted expense given that the planning applications were likely to be submitted and to fall for determination before the neighbourhood plan was substantially progressed.