Agenda item

A report of the Executive Director of Place/Deputy Chief Executive, seeking consideration of the report and addendum report to Cabinet on 15 December 2025 seeking approval to publicise the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan and submit the plan for examination, as per the agreed recommendation 5) of the addendum report.

The Board scrutinised a report of the Executive Director of Place/Deputy Chief Executive that had sought Cabinet’s approval to publicise the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan and following this, to submit the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan for examination in line with The Neighbourhood Planning Regulations (2012), as outlined in the amended timeline within the submitted report. The report was therefore presented so that Scrutiny Board members could provide feedback on the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan as it progressed towards publication and submission, as detailed in the amended timetable that was detailed at Appendix A to the report.

Given approval of the Motion “Ensuring Statutory Scrutiny and Enforceability for Places for Everyone Masterplans” at the Council meeting on 10^th December, there was therefore a need for the Cabinet to reconsider the report, and, in this regard, revised recommendations that were proposed in a supplement to the published agenda (supplement was published on 15^th December 2025).

This was due to the capacity within the Planning Service’s team responsible for preparing the Local Plan, the Article 4 Direction for HMOs, and now the Supplementary Planning Document required for the Beal Valley and Broadbent Moss Strategic Location. Therefore, the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan would take longer to progress in readiness for consultation and examination.  In this regard, a revised timetable now replaced that within the previously published cabinet report and was detailed in the supplementary report, which was considered.

The options and alternatives presented to the Cabinet were: to approve the recommendations detailed in the revised and updated report, or, to refuse the report.

The Cabinet, after consideration agreed to approve the recommendations in the report, as follows:

1.    That the Cabinet notes the amended timetable outlined in the addendum report.

2.    That the Cabinet agrees to the publicising of the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan, in line with Regulation 16 of The Neighbourhood Planning Regulations (at the appropriate time); and following this,

3.    Submit the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan for examination in line with Regulation 17 of The Neighbourhood Planning Regulations;

4.    Grant delegated authority to the Executive Director Place (Deputy Chief Executive) in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, to consider the recommendations made in the Inspectors Report following independent examination of the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan and, in liaison with the Peak District National Park Authority, approve what action to take in response to each recommendation in said report in line with Regulation 17A (4) of the Neighbourhood Planning Regulations, and approve publication of the examiner’s report, plan proposal and decision statement as soon as possible after the decision.

5.    That the Cabinet notes that the report will be considered by the Place, Economic Growth and Environment Scrutiny Board at the appropriate time in the new year, and should therefore be exempt from call-in, under Rule 14 of the Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rules in the Constitution, and the Executive Director Place (Deputy Chief Executive) in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods be given delegated authority to respond to any feedback from scrutiny as part of their consideration of the Inspectors Report referred to in 3 above.

In scrutinising the report Members of the Scrutiny Board expressed their support for the proposals in the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan.

Resolved:

1.    That, further to the Cabinet meeting of 15^th December 2025, the Place Economic Growth and Environment Scrutiny Board, supports and endorses the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan.

2.    That the Scrutiny Board notes the amended timetable, detailed at Appendix A, to the report for the publication and submission of the Saddleworth Neighbourhood Plan.