Issue - meetings

To consider a report by the Cabinet Member for Planning.

Decisions

1. That the making of the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan would not breach and is compatible with EU and human rights obligations.

2. That the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan as submitted to and approved by referendum be made under section 38A(4) of the 2004 Act.

3. That with the agreement of Bere Regis Parish Council the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan as made be modified by:

a. the replacement of the wording of Policy BR6 with that recommended by the examiner and approved by Purbeck District Council on 19 March 2019; and

b. the deletion of the proposed SANG from Map 5, as recommended by the examiner and approved by Purbeck District Council on 19 March 2019 (the extent of the SANG is shown elsewhere in the plan);

on the basis that such modifications do not materially affect the policies in the plan or are correcting errors of a type contemplated by section 61M(4) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Reason for Decisions

National Planning Practice Guidance, Paragraph 641, states ‘if the majority of those who vote in a referendum are in favour of the draft neighbourhood plan or Order (or, where there is also a business referendum, a majority vote in favour of both referendums), then the neighbourhood plan or Order must be made by the local planning authority within 8 weeks of the referendum’.

The Cabinet considered a report by the Cabinet Member for Planning seeking approval to adopt the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan following a Neighbourhood Planning Referendum held on 2 May 2019.  The turnout for this was 40.19% with 83% of electors voting in favour of the Neighbourhood Plan.  Legislation required that more than 50% of the votes needed to be in favour of a plan for it to proceed further.

It was reported that the Council was required to make the Plan within eight weeks of the referendum.  The deadline for doing so was therefore 27 June 2019 and an exemption was agreed by Cllr Daryl Turner as the Chairman for the Place Scrutiny Committee to waive the overview and scrutiny procedure rules which provided for a call-in period of five working days to pass following the publication of the decision of the Cabinet before it could be implemented. 

The Members for the West Purbeck Ward, Cllrs Wharf and Miller, expressed their support for the adoption of the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan, outlining the significant amount of engagement with local residents through consultations and public meetings.  They also paid tribute to Frances Summers, Senior Planning Policy Officer, for all of her input to the development of the Plan.  It was also noted that the lessons learned by Bere Regis were proving to be very helpful to inform the development of neighbourhood plans elsewhere.

Decisions

1. That the making of the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan would not breach and is compatible with EU and human rights obligations.

2. That the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan as submitted to and approved by referendum be made under section 38A(4) of the 2004 Act.

3. That with the agreement of Bere Regis Parish Council the Bere Regis Neighbourhood Plan as made be modified by:

a. the replacement of the wording of Policy BR6 with that recommended by the examiner and approved by Purbeck District Council on 19 March 2019; and

b. the deletion of the proposed SANG from Map 5, as recommended by the examiner and approved by Purbeck District Council on 19 March 2019 (the extent of the SANG is shown elsewhere in the plan);

on the basis that such modifications do not materially affect the policies in the plan or are correcting errors of a type contemplated by section 61M(4) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Reason for Decisions

National Planning Practice Guidance, Paragraph 641, states ‘if the majority of those who vote in a referendum are in favour of the draft neighbourhood plan or Order (or, where there is also a business referendum, a majority vote in favour of both referendums), then the neighbourhood plan or Order must be made by the local planning authority within 8 weeks of the referendum’.