Agenda item

To consider approving the publication and consultation of the draft version of a new Local Plan for Oldham.

The Cabinet considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive (Place) which sought permission to approve the publication and consultation of the draft version of a new Local Plan for Oldham (referred to as the Draft Local Plan in this report).

The council was required to prepare a Local Plan to ensure that it has an up-to-date and comprehensive planning framework to support the borough’s economic, environmental and social objectives. Oldham’s Local Plan will guide development in the borough up to 2039. Once adopted, it would replace the current Local Plan (the Joint Core Strategy and Development Management Policies DPD) which was adopted in November 2011 and any saved older planning policies from the Unitary Development Plan (UDP) 2006.

The Draft Local Plan follows on from public consultations that were carried out on the Issues and Options for a new Local Plan in Summer 2021. It builds also upon the comments the authority has received and has been informed by on-going studies and pieces of evidence that have been completed since the Issues and Options consultation. The Draft Local Plan is accompanied by an Integrated Assessment (IA), which incorporates the Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental Assessment, an Equalities Impact Assessment (EqIA) and Health Impact Assessment (HIA), and by a Habitat Regulations Assessment. The Draft Local Plan and associated appendices, IA, IA Scoping Report Update, HRA, Consultation Statement and Issues and Options Comments and Response Schedule are attached at Appendix 1 to 8. Approval is sought to publish and consult on the Draft Local Plan and supporting documents, with consultation commencing no earlier than 10 January 2024 for six weeks. Note, following approval there may be further formatting amendments made to the documents to address accessibility requirements prior to publication for consultation.

Topic Papers on key themes and the Site Allocations Background Paper will also be published alongside the Draft Local Plan and accompanying documents. These topic/background papers helped to explain the current guidance and requirements and pull together the evidence available.

The Cabinet was informed that the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) set out the framework for the preparation of a Local Plan, with paragraph 16 stating that plans should be:

• prepared with the objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development;

• be prepared positively, in a way that is aspirational but deliverable;

• be shaped by early, proportionate and effective engagement between plan makers and communities, local organisations, businesses, infrastructure providers and operators and statutory consultees;

• contain policies that are clearly written and unambiguous, so it is evident how a decision maker should react to development proposals;

• be accessible, through the use of digital tools, to assist public involvement and policy presentation;

• serve a clear purpose, avoiding unnecessary duplication of policies that apply to a particular area (including policies in this Framework, where relevant).

In considering the report, Cabinet was advised that the Place, Economic Growth and Environment Scrutiny Board, at its meeting held 6^th December 2023 had considered this report, in some detail and endorsed the recommendations in the report.

Options/alternatives considered:

Option 1 – To publish and consult on the proposed Draft Local Plan and supporting documents commencing no earlier than 10 January 2024 for six weeks. Advantages - this will be in accordance with NPPF and provide certainty to residents and developers that work is under way on preparing an up-to-date Local Plan. It will also help to ensure that the council is keeping to its programme for preparing a new Local Plan for submission for Examination before 30 June 2025. Disadvantages - there are no disadvantages to publishing and consulting on the Draft Local Plan and supporting documents as it is positive to engage and seek the views of residents, businesses and stakeholders as we prepare such an important document for the council.

Option 2 – To delay publishing and consulting on the proposed Draft Local Plan and supporting documents. Advantages - if there are concerns by Members on any aspects of the proposed Draft Local Plan, there may be some advantages to working these concerns through before publishing for consultation. 12 Disadvantages - not publishing and consulting on the Draft Local Plan and supporting documents would likely mean that the council is not able to prepare a new Local Plan under the current regulations for submission for Examination by 30 June 2025. This will result in the council having to start Local Plan preparation again under the new regulations for the new-style Local Plan and mean that the Council would have to continue to rely on the Joint DPD (elements of which are somewhat out of date) and the high-level GM-wide policies in Places for Everyone when making decisions on planning application. This would mean that developers may be more likely to challenge our planning application decisions on appeal and be more likely to succeed with that challenge as the Joint DPD becomes more and more out of date.

Option 3 – To not take forward a Draft Local Plan at this stage and cease work on a new Local Plan. Advantages - this option would reduce costs for the council, given that preparing a new Local Plan does require significant investment in evidence studies, the preparation of the Local Plan and supporting documents, public consultation and the examination of the Local Plan by a Planning Inspector. Disadvantages - not preparing a new Local Plan would not be in accordance with government guidance and planning legislation, which now requires councils to prepare a new Local Plan every five years. The council would also be reliant on the Joint DPD (elements of which are somewhat out of date) and the high-level GM[1]wide policies in Places for Everyone when making decisions on planning applications for the foreseeable future. This would mean that developers may be more likely to challenge our planning application decisions on appeal and be more likely to succeed with that challenge as the Joint DPD becomes more and more out of date.

Resolved:

That the Draft Local Plan and supporting documents, including the Integrated Assessment and Habitat Regulation Assessment, be approved for publication and consultation commencing no earlier than 10^th January 2024 for six weeks.