Agenda item

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The Planning Policy Manager presented the report and explained that it provided a summary of the representations received to the consultation on the additional evidence base documents that formed part of the supporting evidence base for Local Plan currently at Examination.  The consultation was undertaken between 8 September and 20 October 2023.

The Task Group was informed that 51 representations had been received with around 450 separate comments, details (summary comments, and the Council’s response to each) were set out at Appendices 1 to 8 attached to the report.

The Planning Policy Manager explained that the report set out the main issues under each of the topic papers.  A lot of the comments had repeated representations that had been made at an earlier stage of the Local Plan process, some of the comments did not relate to the consultation documents.  All comments had been included in the appendices to the report and had been submitted to the Planning Inspectors for their consideration and likely to issue the Agendas and timetables and additional questions and issues as a result of the representations at the end of January/early February 2024.

The Chair thanked the Planning Policy Manager for the report and invited questions and comments from the Panel, a summary of which is set out below.

The Chair commented on the section on the representations form – wishing to be heard at the Examination Hearing and asked when a decision would be made.  In response, the Planning Policy Manager explained that the Planning Inspectors would determine who would be invited to attend and make representations at the hearing.  The Task Group was advised that written representations would be considered in the same way as verbal representations made at the Examination Hearing.

Under Standing Order 34, Councillor Kemp addressed the Task Group and asked the following questions/made the following comments:

1.    Hardings Way and the proposal for up to 50 houses, Policy E1. 10 and the issue of flood risk and added that the 7 already built were not permitted to have any ground floor living accommodation because of the high flood risk and with climate change the Council should not be building houses with the high flood risk.

2.    Change of settlement hierarchy for the West Winch Growth Area (WWGA) into the King’s Lynn Regional Sub-Centre.  Change of West Lynn from the King’s Lynn Regional Sub Centre into a Tier 3 village and asked if this recognised/was affected any of the parish boundaries.

3.    Ongoing concerns regarding traffic congestion around King’s Lynn and the transport study which had been undertaken.

The Chair invited officers to respond to the questions/comments made by Councillor Kemp above.

In response, the Planning Policy Manager explained that the evidence base study on transport was prepared by the Highways Authority and undertaken in accordance with the Regulations and had been submitted to the Planning Inspector and would take Councillor Kemp’s representation into consideration through the Examination Hearing.

With regard to Hardings Way, the Planning Policy Manager explained that it was a housing supply paper and at the previous Examination Hearing when the site E1.10 was discussed following the matters and issues and questions published by the Inspector prior to the previous hearing session.  As a result the Inspector issued an action note at the end of hearings (22 December). Within the action note the Inspectors asked the Council to have a look again at the site boundary because of the discussions at the Examination Hearing and to reduce the site boundary and to present that update to the deliverability note.  The work had been completed and housing supply update paper that went out to consultation detailed the revised site boundary which reduced the site from 3.8 hectares to just under 2.

The Planning Policy Manager confirmed that the Local Plan did not affect/was not affected by parish boundaries.

In response to comments made on the changes to the documents resulting from the consultation, the Planning Policy Manager outlined the minor changes within the topic papers.

RESOLVED:  The Local Plan Task Group noted the representations received.