Issue - meetings

To receive the report of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy seeking approval for the Pre-Submission Gloucester City Plan for publication and submission to examination to enable the Council to progress the Gloucester City Plan to adoption to help meet identified growth needs.

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy seeking agreement on the `Pre-Submission’ Gloucester City Plan for publication and submission to examination to enable the Council to progress the Gloucester City Plan to adoption to help meet identified growth needs.

RECOMMENDED to Council that it is approved that the Pre-Submission Gloucester City Plan for Publication under the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 as the version of the Gloucester City Plan proposed to be submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy that sought agreement on the `Pre-Submission’ Gloucester City Plan for publication and submission to examination to enable the Council to progress the Gloucester City Plan to adoption to help meet identified growth needs.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy outlined the background to the proposed City Plan and thanked the officers and partner organisations who had worked to advance it so far.  He further thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Committee who had considered the report in depth at their meeting of 2^nd September 2019 and advised Members that all their recommendations had been adopted. 

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Housing Strategy drew Members’ attention to the innovative nature of some of the policies within the plan. These included the Affordable Housing (Policy A2), with a threshold of 25% affordable housing in developments exceeding the 20% previously recommended, Protection of Public Houses (Policy B2) and Fall Prevention from Taller Buildings (Policy C3), believed to be the first such policy in the country. The Cabinet Member for Communities and Neighbourhoods noted the breadth of issues addressed and contributions from across the region that would enable the plan to make a real difference to health and wellbeing and change people’s lives for the better.  The Cabinet Member for Environment reiterated previous comments on the detail, thoroughness and progress made.  The Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economy reminded Members that the City Plan would continue to develop through the coming consultation, examination and adoption stages.      

RECOMMENDED to Council that it is approved that the Pre-Submission Gloucester City Plan for Publication under the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 as the version of the Gloucester City Plan proposed to be submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination.