Agenda item

(a)  That the draft Issues and Options Document for the Review of the Local Plan for Slough (2016-2036) be approved for public consultation, with delegated powers to Officers, following consultation with the Commissioner for Housing & Urban Renewal, to make any necessary minor changes prior to publication.

(b)  That delegated powers be granted to Officers, following consultation with the Commissioner for Housing & Urban Renewal, to publish a Local Development Scheme setting out a timetable for the Review of the Local Plan for Slough.

(c)  That delegated powers be granted to Officers, following consultation with the Commissioner for Housing & Urban Renewal, to publish a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) setting out how the Councils stakeholders and community would be involved in preparation of Planning Policy documents.

The Commissioner for Housing & Urban Renewal and the Planning Policy Lead Officer introduced a report that sought approval of the Local Plan Issues and Options document that would be the subject of a six week period of public consultation.  It was emphasised that the document at Appendix A to the report was designed to stimulate discussion and was not a draft plan.  A shorter version would be produced for public engagement.

The Cabinet noted the major strategic issues identified in the report which included Slough’s growing, young and dynamic population; providing the 927 dwellings a year of the Objectively Assessed Housing Need; the creation of 15,000 additional jobs; how the town centre could be revitalised; getting the maximum benefits out of the growth of Heathrow airport and mitigating any adverse environmental effects; and maintaining Slough’s position as an ‘economic powerhouse’.  The report set out the possible ways in which the Local Plan could address these issues and included a number of strategic ‘spatial options’ to put forward for public consultation.  It was noted that even if all of these options came forward, Slough would still be 8,000 houses short of meeting the identified housing need over time, hence the options of expanding Slough or building elsewhere were being promoted but could only be achieved with the agreement of relevant authorities.  It was a requirement to have a new Local Plan in place and although there was some uncertainty about the timescale for Slough in view of the proposed Heathrow expansion and co-ordination with neighbouring authorities.

Commissioners welcomed the progress that had been made and asked that the consultation be as simple as possible for people to engage with given the range and complexity of the issues involved.  A communications plan was in place and whilst social media would be used to raise awareness of the consultation, people would need to comment through the website and other formal mechanisms.  The option of introducing a congestion charge had been highlighted locally and it was clarified that the Issues and Options document was a discussion document setting all of the options over a twenty year period.  It was confirmed that there was no immediate proposal to introduce such a scheme but it was an option in the long term if it was considered to be the right solution given the forecast growth of the town.

Councillors Wright, Bains, Swindlehurst, Hussain and Swindlehurst spoke raised a number of issues under Rule 30 including:

·  The need to ensure a balanced approach be taken on the provision of new housing to ensure more family homes were provided to help people stay in Slough.

·  The plan should be realistic on the supply of new homes and the numbers should be consistent with the draft housing strategy.

·  The release of green belt land needed to be very carefully considered and not given up without clear local support.

·  The inclusion of controversial issues such as a congestion charge and green belt release risked distracting from the other major issues in the document.

The Leader thanked Members for their contributions and emphasised that the publication of the Issues and Options document was the starting point for wider consultation.  He encouraged them to provide these views through the consultation process.

The Cabinet agreed that the draft Issues and Options document be approved for consultation.

Resolved –

(a)  That the draft Issues and Options Document for the Review of the Local Plan for Slough (2016-2036) be approved for public consultation, with delegated powers to Officers, following consultation with the Commissioner for Housing & Urban Renewal, to make any necessary minor changes prior to publication.

(b)  That delegated powers be granted to Officers, following consultation with the Commissioner for Housing & Urban Renewal, to publish a Local Development Scheme setting out a timetable for the Review of the Local Plan for Slough.

(c)  That delegated powers be granted to Officers, following consultation with the Commissioner for Housing & Urban Renewal, to publish a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) setting out how the Councils stakeholders and community would be involved in preparation of Planning Policy documents.