Agenda item

The Planning Policy Lead Officer introduced a report that presented the proposed content of the Spatial Strategy, part of the Local Plan for Slough, that was due to go out for public consultation during November and December 2020.

The Spatial Strategy set out the pattern, scale and nature of development for Slough.  It was required to make provision to meet housing, employment and other needs, whilst also ensuring the natural, built and historic environments were conserved. 

The vision, objectives and guiding principles of the Spatial Strategy were to:

• Ensure development was located in the most accessible locations, which had the greatest capacity to absorb growth and deliver social and environmental benefits.
• Promote inclusive growth with more of the wealth generated in Slough being retained in the local area.
• Make Slough a place people wanted to ‘work, rest, play and stay’.

In considering how to decide the best use of scare land, the following factors had been taken into account:

• Based upon the Government’s standard methodology, there was a need for 15,460 additional homes over the remaining 16 years of the plan period at an average of 966 a year.
• There was a significant need for affordable housing and for a range of house types including family housing.
• The Council was unable to set a target for the number of jobs required to support the Slough economy; however, the aim would be to provide an additional 15,000 jobs in order to meet the needs of the growing resident workforce. 
• There was a general demand for land to use for warehousing in the Slough area.
• There continued to be a shortage of public open space in the Borough.

Following the conclusion of the presentation, the Chair invited comments and questions from Members.

During the course of the discussion, the following points were raised:

• Concerns were raised about the development of residential housing generating additional traffic congestion and pressure on the road network.  It was highlighted that the Strategy aimed to promote the use of public transport and a reduced reliance on car travel.
• Referring to section 5.16 of the report it was noted that the town centre’s role as a transport hub would make it the focus for the Council’s Transport Strategy.  It was suggested that the Transport Strategy should be presented as part of the Spatial Strategy.
• It was noted that the Council had been promoting the Northern Expansion of Slough to meet the Borough’s housing needs.  It was explained that nationally local authorities were under pressure from Government to build housing.  There was a particular need in Slough to build family housing due to overcrowding and the Borough’s young population.
• Discussion took place regarding the consultation process.  It was explained that a range of methods would be used to engage with residents, including the distribution of leaflets to households, social media campaigns and questionnaire seeking residents’ views on preferred development options.

Resolved –

(a) That the proposed content of the Local Plan Spatial Strategy be noted.

(b) That the Planning Policy Lead Officer be requested to incorporate the Transport Strategy into the Spatial Strategy as part of the implementation process, and for this request to be forwarded to Cabinet for consideration.