Issue - meetings

Appendix A is at the end of the report.

The Planning Portfolio Holder considered a report detailing the results of the consultation on the Service Level Agreement carried out from 19 September until 30 October 2014.

Following a brief discussion, the Portfolio Holder concluded that many Parish Councils seemed to be awaiting the outcome of the Local Plan Examination before making a decision as to whether or not to explore Neighbourhood Plans.

The Planning Portfolio Holder approved the Service Level Agreement (SLA) template, as set out in Appendix A of the report from the Planning and New Communities Director,  for use with parish councils in the district who are preparing neighbourhood plans, which incorporates additional wording to the SLA as highlighted in bold below:

 Purpose

The purpose of this agreement is to establish the working relationship between the Parish Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council. It is intended to help Parish Councils that are preparing a NP and can be adapted by agreement to meet the needs of different Parish Councils recognising that each NP will reflect the issues for a particular area.

It is recommended that the Planning Portfolio Holder

a)    Approves for consultation with parish councils the Service Level Agreement as set out in Appendix B to be used as a model agreement between South Cambridgeshire District Council and Parish Council/s within the district who are preparing neighbourhood plans for their areas. The results of the consultation to be reported back to the next Planning Portfolio Holder Meeting.

b)    Agrees that a review of the approach for neighbourhood planning is taken by the Council in a year’s time

The Planning Portfolio Holder considered a report inviting him to agree for public consultation a proposed protocol that South Cambridgeshire District Council will follow when working with Parish Councils within the district that wish to produce neighbourhood plans for their areas.

The principal consideration was that of resources, which were limited and had already been used up in 2014-15. While it was known that costs were significant, it was extremely difficult to assess in advance what they might actually be.

One solution might be for groups of Parish Councils to work together, thus saving costs.

The Planning Portfolio Holder

a)    Approved for consultation with parish councils the Service Level Agreement as set out in Appendix B to be used as a model agreement between South Cambridgeshire District Council and Parish Council/s within the district who are preparing neighbourhood plans for their areas. The results of the consultation to be reported back to the next Planning Portfolio Holder Meeting.

b)    Agreed that a review of the approach for neighbourhood planning is taken by the Council in a year’s time