Issue - meetings

Report of the Director of Planning and Regeneration

1.      Cabinet has noted the proposed amended timetable for the adoption of the Central Area Action Plan as set out in the West Northamptonshire Local Development Scheme submitted to Government Office for the East Midlands in December 2009 and the changes to PPS4.

2.      Cabinet has approved the primary and secondary frontages and a primary shopping area within the town centre for consultation.

3.      The primary and secondary frontages and a primary shopping area are to be used to inform the Council’s planning policy position in the determination of planning applications by it and West Northamptonshire Development Corporation.

Councillor Clarke addressed Cabinet offering respect for the planning team who had made huge inroads and now showed signs of excellence.  However, he was concerned that the public was not being given enough choices to consider prior to consultation.  He felt that the issues surrounding Planning Policy Statement 4 (PPS4) should be separated from the issues of the frontages and the Central Area Action Plan (CAAP).

Councillor Mildren addressed Cabinet with disappointment as he did not feel that report was as aspirational as it could have been.  He would have like to have seen St Giles Street and the whole of the Market Square as premier areas and he mentioned the benefit of the redevelopment of the Grand Hotel in Gold Street.

Councillor Hawkins addressed cabinet asking for the consultation to go beyond internal groups and encompass the local Civic Society.  She then referred to a magazine article advocating the use of research councils for information about the development of policies.

Councillor Church, as Portfolio Holder for Planning and Regeneration, presented the report to Cabinet guiding members to the appendices that showed the defined frontages. He explained that the timetable for the adoption of the CAAP, Joint Core Strategy (JCS) and Local Development Scheme (LDS) were now approved by the Government office and asked for Cabinet endorsement on this. He advised Cabinet of the Government policy to protect town centres and ensure that any proposed out of town retail development recognised this policy. Having already had consultation on the CAAP, there was now to be a further consultation on the definition of frontages and the proposal in the report was a starting point for this and contained a variety of alternative options.

RESOLVED

1.      That Cabinet notes the proposed amended timetable for the adoption of the Central Area Action Plan as set out in the West Northamptonshire Local Development Scheme submitted to Government Office for the East Midlands in December 2009 and the changes to PPS4.

2.      That Cabinet approves the primary and secondary frontages and a primary shopping area within the town centre for consultation.

3.      That the primary and secondary frontages and a primary shopping area be used to inform the Council’s planning policy position in the determination of planning applications by it and West Northamptonshire Development Corporation.