Winchester City Borough Council Local Plan Advisory Group Meeting

Apologies for the meeting were noted as above.

There were no disclosures of interest made.

There were no requests made in advance of the meeting however several representations from members were considered under the respective agenda item.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 11 January 2021 be agreed as a correct record.

Two members of the public addressed the meeting.

Mr John Hearn spoke on behalf of the City of Winchester Trust. Mr Hearn advised that the Trust considered that City-wide Spatial Plans were the appropriate way to plan for a city such as Winchester. He was aware of several examples in the UK which could be adapted and felt that much of the work already undertaken through the “Vision for Winchester” project and the “Movement Strategy” could be utilised to this end. Mr Hearn suggested that the Town Forum Informal Planning Group would be a useful body to take this work forward.

Mr Patrick Davies addressed the meeting and agreed with the comments made by Mr Hearn. However, Mr Davies suggested that alternative, community groups should also be consulted and utilised so that the council received a wide range of views on the matters. Mr Davies believed that doing this at an early stage would avoid potential, future issues.

The Chairperson thanked Mr Hearn and Mr Davies for their contributions.

Mr Fox, Strategic Planning Manager provided the advisory group with a

presentation that had previously been circulated to members regarding the Local Plan, Strategic Issues and Priorities Consultation. The presentation was available on the council's website at this link. Mr Fox provided members with details on several issues including engagement reach, respondent breakdown, use of social media and the next steps.

Members made a number of comments and asked several questions concerning the proposed design workshops which included the following:

• Was Winchester too large an area to tackle in one session?
• Was there enough emphasis on the rural areas of the district?
• Could engagement be undertaken with rural community groups as well as parish councils?
• A good plan for the Town area has benefits for the wider district.
• That the market towns shouldn’t be expected to receive the same level of development as they had previously.
• That the findings from the green economic development strategy be discussed at a future meeting.

Members also raised several points relating to other changes they would like to see made to future local plan policies, these included:

• The re-purposing of existing buildings rather than demolition and re-building
• Increased requirements relating to the use of renewables for energy use and generation
• Building in greater requirements to improve biodiversity
• Promoting the use of cycling and walking ahead of vehicle use
• Building in the linkages between distinct closes/streets
• Allowing/enabling the conversion of un-used barns into dwellings

These questions were responded to by officers accordingly.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the presentation and update be noted

2.    That officers consider the points made by members

Mr Fox, Strategic Planning Manager introduced the report. Mr Fox advised members that the Local Development Scheme (LDS) was in effect a project management tool that identified the different stages of the local plan process and was accompanied by a high-level timetable. The timetable culminated in the final stage of “Adoption and publication of Local Plan and revised Local Plan Policies - July/August 2024”. Finally, members were advised that the LDS would be considered at the cabinet meeting on 21^st July 2021.

Members made comments and asked several questions concerning the LDS which included the following:

• The likely changes required because of the future, Government White paper
• The requirements on the authority to fulfil the “duty to cooperate”
• The current engagement with Partnership for South Hampshire (PfSH) and how their plans interact with the authority’s
• Potential issues with consultations taking place in August 2022 and August 2023 due to summer holidays
• The current engagement with the South Downs Nation Park Authority
• How the Local Plan would address issues within the district regarding gypsy and traveller sites

·       Design issues need to be dealt with in a more comprehensive manner in the new local plan and this applies to the rural areas and market towns and not only the city itself. This aligns with proposed Government reforms

·       That the Partnership for South Hampshire (PfSH) strategic area development be discussed at a future meeting.

These questions were responded to by officers accordingly.

RESOLVED:

1.             That the report and update be noted.

2.             That officers consider the points made by members