Apologies were received from Councillors Alex Hall, Travis Hesketh and Terry Taylor.

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 Neil Jones had been appointed to the Committee in place of Councillor Paul Rickett for this Meeting only.

At this point in the Meeting, Members were invited to declare any relevant interests.  None were received.

To confirm the Minutes of the Meeting held on 17^th October 2024.

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 17 October 2024 were agreed as a correct record.

Actions from the previous Meeting(s).

The actions were noted as complete or in hand.

Action No. 14 – ‘Figures to be provided on how much farmland had flooded since the beginning of 2024’, page 21 of the Agenda refers.

A Member highlighted the importance of receiving an update on the amount of farmland that had been flooded in East Lindsey district since 2024.

No further comments or questions were received.

To receive a report from the Assistant Director, Planning and Strategic Infrastructure.

The Chairman welcomed Phil Norman, Assistant Director (Planning and Strategic Infrastructure) and Greg Macrdechian, Interim Local Plan Lead to the Meeting.

The Assistant Director (Planning and Strategic Infrastructure) took the opportunity to introduce Abbie Marwood who had been appointed as the new Group Manager for Planning and Development across the Partnership.

The Interim Local Plan Lead presented Members with a report on Government Reform of the Planning System, pages 25 to 36 of the Agenda refer. 

Members were advised that the purpose of the report was to provide an update on the Government Planning Reforms and impacts to East Lindsey District Council and the review of the East Lindsey Local Plan. 

Members were provided with a presentation that highlighted the following areas:

·         Background of Reforms

·         New Nation Planning Policy Framework (PPF) Main Changes

·         Impacts on Housing Delivery for the East Lindsey Local Plan

·         Devolution White Paper Main Proposals

·         Impacts on East Lindsey Local Plan Review

·         Conclusions and Next Steps

A copy of the presentation is attached as Appendix A to the Minutes.

Members were invited to put their comments and questions forward.

·         The Chairman highlighted concerns with progressing the Local Plan timetable alongside plans for Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and commented that he was hopeful that the evidence gained from the work currently being undertaken would remain relevant.

·         A Member queried whether the Council would be in a better position in the circumstances where the five-year housing supply figures were more accurate.  In response, the Interim Local Plan Lead advised Members that the accuracy of the figures was significant, and that further clarification would be obtained from the Planning team.

·         The Chairman highlighted the importance of undertaking evidence-based work and ensuring that the government was cooperative with examining the accuracy of the data.

·         A Member queried the reasons why the response from the government in relation to inaccurate housing supply figures was unsatisfactory.  In response, the Assistant Director (Planning and Strategic Infrastructure) explained to Members that the government’s response had not provided further clarification and had only stated that the figures had been sourced from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).  The Interim Local Plan Lead further advised Members that the response received was a standardised approach rather than addressing specific queries raised by Councils.

·         A Member queried whether there was any merit in pursuing the housing target with Local Government Reorganisation approaching.  In response, the Interim Local Plan Lead advised Members that it was uncertain what devolution would look like and that until the process had been agreed, the Council was duty bound to continue the work and produce a Local Plan.

·         A Member considered whether the new legislation would mandate solar panels and other energy saving technologies for new build houses. 

The Assistant Director (Planning and Strategic Infrastructure) explained to Members that the Government were in support of Local Plan development and that it had been unusual that a request had been made for every single authority to write to them directly with Local Plan proposals.

·         The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

The date of the next Meeting was confirmed as Thursday 27 March 2025 commencing at 6.00pm.