Agenda and minutes

To sign as a correct record the notes of the Annual General Meeting of the South East Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee meeting held on 2 August 2013.  (Copy enclosed.)

The minutes of the meeting held on 2 August 2013 were signed by the Chairman as a correct record, subject to the attendance records being amended to reflect that Councillor F Pickett had been in attendance.

To consider responses to the representations received during the public consultation exercise (enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the South East Lincolnshire Joint Policy Unit Manager which sought approval of the recommended action in response to representations received as a result of the recent public consultation on the Combined Preferred Options and Sustainability Appraisal Report.

At the South East Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee meeting on 5 April 2013, members resolved to approve the contents of the Combined Preferred Options and Sustainability Appraisal Report (Committee Version [April 2013]) for the purpose of public consultation subject to making a small number of amendments.  At the same meeting, members also approved a Consultation Strategy for guiding the public consultation exercise on the Combined Preferred Options and Sustainability Appraisal Report (the Preferred Options document).  The public consultation period commenced on 3 May 2013 and ran until 28 June 2013.

Members addressed the representations received in response to the public consultation exercise on the Preferred Options document, which were categorised under the following headings:

·      Whole document;

·      Introduction;

·      Spatial Portrait;

·      Vision and Strategic Priorities;

·      Economy;

·      Environment;

·      Community, Health and Well-being;

·      Transport;

·      Delivery;

·      Key Diagram;

·      Glossary of Terms; and 

·      Appendices.

Appendix A within the report set out all the representations that had been received from various individuals and organisations which had been categorised under the above headings.  The representations included comments in support of the contents of the Preferred Options document and other observations as well as objections.  In total, Appendix A listed approximately 540 individual representations.

Members noted that the recommendations to the Joint Committee had been

categorised under the following headings:

1. Support – no change to the approach is required;
2. Representations beyond the remit of the Local Plan or to be addressed in the preparation of the Site Allocations DPD (Development Plan Document);
3. Objection – further work required which could result in a change to the approach;
4. Objection – a minor change to the approach may be required (e.g. detailed policy wording/SA scoring); and 
5. Objection – no change to the approach is required.

The Deputy Joint Policy Unit Manager reported on comments received from the Head of Built Environment and Development for Boston Borough Council.

The Head of Built Environment and Development Steve had advised that this was a large document to be presented and would be difficult to consider by the Joint Committee.  He had wondered whether it might have been considered by the Steering Group first.

The Deputy Joint Policy Unit Manager expressed the view that the public could expect that their comments should be considered by the democratically accountable Joint Committee first and foremost.  However, it was the intention of the report (that the Joint Committee considered) to recommend that the substantive issues that came out of the consultation would be taken back to the Steering Group for more detailed work.  Officers would be guiding members through the report to identify those substantive issues and a discussion would be initiated at the end of the meeting to assess whether an alternative approach should be taken for the next Joint Committee.

The Joint  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To be confirmed during the meeting.

The next meeting of the South East Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee was scheduled to be held on 25 November 2013 at 9.30 am at Boston Borough Council, Municipal Buildings, West Street, Boston.