Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Service Manager for Spatial Planning.

The committee considered a scoping report, which sought to ensure that the matter of grid capacity was fully considered as part of the preparation of the local plan and that the council was fully aware on the matter, so as to be able to lobby and work with providers to make the necessary improvements.

The Chairman provided the opportunity for non-committee members to ask questions and discussion was held in the following areas:

·            C Jones asked two questions which were responded to by the Portfolio Holder for Planning.  The questions asked and responses provided are set out at Appendix 2 to the notes

·            Need to look at existing grid capacity and the impact of adding related conditions to planning consents

·            Support was expressed for the use of a consultant to undertake work in this area

·            A request was made to consider the use of domestic solar panels.

The committee considered the issues arising from the report and points were raised in the following areas:

·            The timescale for the work would fit in with the timescale for the local plan review

·            Financial issues including lobbying for increased investment and how the consultants would be able to assist with this

·            Need to consider a wider range of green renewable energies

·            The consultants work would assist in understanding how capacity would affect the council’s ambitions and how the council could assist

·            Need to keep the scope of the review wide.  The scope was currently being developed with the consultants and would include a review of energy feeding into the system

·            This initial scoping part of the work was about getting a sound and independent assessment of the issues and would establish a baseline to enable the council to engage in debate with all parties in this area

·            Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) had also commissioned a complimentary piece of work through consultants and this could also be reviewed by the committee.

It was proposed by A Canning seconded by J Andrews that the committee support the three recommendations set out in the report and add a fourth recommendation as follows, ‘That the Place & Resources Scrutiny Committee wish to invite representatives of the energy supply industry to a future meeting and to require that the LEP review report of energy supply is also reported to a future meeting, alongside the Dorset Council consultants’ report.’

‘Minded to’ Committee support for the following

(i)             That the response to the Local Area Network Plan consultation be noted;

(ii)            That members support the commissioning of additional consultancy work on grid capacity;

(iii)          That the issues related to local grid capacity as raised at this meeting are fed into the study and notified to the provider;

(iv)          That the Place & Resources Scrutiny Committee wish to invite representatives of the energy supply industry to a future meeting and to require that the LEP review report of energy supply is also reported to a future meeting, alongside the Dorset Council consultants’ report.