It was noted that in accordance with Regulation 13 of the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990, notice had been given that Councillor Chris Green had been appointed to the Committee in place of Councillor Tom Kemp for this meeting.

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 November 2022.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 10 November 2022 were agreed as a correct record.

Actions from the last Meeting.

The actions were noted as complete or in hand.

With regard to the Gypsy and Travellers Needs Assessment, the Assistant Director for Planning and Strategic Infrastructure advised that there would now only be minor adjustments to the paper, relating in part to appeal cases and court judgements.  The Research and Planning Policy Manager would confirm directly to Committee when completed.

To receive a report.

The Chairman updated Members on the background to the Report, the workshops undertaken, the methodology behind the scoring and the need to get a better understanding of the detail as to what made settlements sustainable in the 21^st century.  

The Senior Policy Officer, Planning highlighted the detail within the report, including the findings of the workshop held in November 2021, the 2022 Report from that workshop and discussion on employment scoring in the different parishes as there was currently no available data on large employers and how this information could be extracted from alternative information.  At the workshop there were a number of suggestions made, however no conclusion was reached as of the last meeting, therefore officers would further consider how this could be progressed.  One suggestion made at the workshop was regarding non-domestic rates, and to increase the figure used from £1,000 to £10,000, capturing more employment patterns.  The Senior Policy Officer noted that using non-domestic rates was the most reliable source of data, despite some employers slipping under this threshold, for example schools, as this data was already captured elsewhere.  It was concluded that this data would be the best option to capture the range and type of employment. 

The history of previous data sources was noted, and that the Strategic Road Network data was now no longer available, hence the subsequent move to use the county’s gritting routes.  However, it was highlighted that the recent significant increase in gritted routes, to include more rural districts had meant that this data no longer gave any relevant value as there were very few communities excluded from the gritting map.  Therefore, the officers suggested that this data was no longer useful as it did not serve its original purpose.

The Senior Policy Officer noted that regarding the changes made following the workshop and further consideration, it was necessary to look at where the threshold was set within the points scoring system.  Members were referred to Paragraph 2.11 the outcome would be in terms of sizes of villages and any changes to this.  It was considered that there would be fewer medium villages compared to those currently in the Local Plan, therefore the policy relating to small and medium villages would not be the same moving forward and this  needed to be considered when deciding which settlements were to be placed in which category. 

The Chairman observed that whichever methodology was used not everybody would agree and that it was important to remember that it was the scoring under consideration, not the thresholds.

In relation to Table 2.11, a Member asked where the other 14 villages would be placed. Members were advised that depending on changes on the ground and the way points were calculated, the villages referred to have transferred either up or down into different categories.

A Member asked if the Strategic Road Network/gritting route data would be replaced with anything else, in response Members were advised that it would not be used as a metric, given the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

To receive a briefing paper.

The Assistant Director, Planning and Strategic Infrastructure updated Members on the background to the government issuing an updated draft to the policy in December 2022.  This update was due to Parliamentary back bench concern with regards to development on green field sites and the emphasis on the concept of ‘beauty’ and strengthening design policies; other issues included changes to affordable properties, improvements to biodiversity, developer reputation, windfarms and the need for community consultation and support.  The Assistant Director, Planning and Strategic Infrastructure explained that officers across the Partnership had looked at this regarding what it meant in real terms and largely there was officer agreement with the proposed changes.  The result of this was the draft response, pages 19–34, following which Members were requested to put forward any further points they wished to make

Members put their comments and questions forward.

·       The Chairman noted the changes to the planning system over the last 15 years and concerns with regards to the subjectivity of ‘beauty’ and how this would be defined in real terms and suggested the need for the insistence for more spacious developments.  He expressed concern about the concept of reputation being incorporated into the process, as this wouldn’t necessarily eradicate the developers who may have more unscrupulous ways of working. 

·       A Member also noted the transient nature of ‘beauty’ and considered that it was more important to look for quality.  Regarding disreputable builders/developers, he highlighted the importance of local information, including local Members attendance at Planning meetings and considered that this should be addressed in conjunction with Enforcement policies.   Whilst acknowledging the pints made, the Chairman pointed out that this may go against the principle that every planning application ‘should be considered on its own merit’. 

·       The Assistant Director, Planning and Strategic Infrastructure emphasised the need to always adhere to planning law and due process, and to be aware of creating something too unwieldy to manage.  He noted that the government may be trying to solve a perceived problem and as a result of this was inadvertently creating something that was unwieldy and difficult to manage. 

·       There was a question from a Member regarding social housing, and whether a parish council could potentially become a registered housing provider.  The Assistant Director, Planning and Strategic Infrastructure acknowledged the difficulty on becoming a registered social landlord and the limited number of registered providers in East Lindsey and confirmed that the NPPF was moving towards widening the number of bodies who could register as social housing providers.   

·       A Member queried whether any comments had been received regarding housing allocations that dated back to 1960s.  The Assistant Director, Planning and Strategic Infrastructure explained that regarding how these were accounted for, the government was moving towards a ‘use it or lose it’ position on some sites to remove uncertainty for communities and councils as it impacted urban areas in particular. 

·       A Member noted some issues relating to Item 52 - ‘Are there any other issues which apply to all or most of England  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.

The programmed date for the next Meeting of this Committee will be 23 March 2023.

The date of the next Meeting was confirmed as Thursday 23 March 2023, commencing at 6.00pm.