Agenda item

To consider the officer recommendation that the examiner’s decision on the Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) (ie. that it should not proceed to referendum) is not followed and the NDP does progress to referendum. This is as a result of new landscape evidence which West Berkshire District Council (WBDC) officers consider overcomes the concerns raised by the examiner in his report.

The Council considered a report (Agenda Item 17) which asked Members to consider the officer recommendation that the examiner’s decision on the Stratfield Mortimer Neighbourhood Development Plan (NDP) (i.e. that it should not proceed to referendum) was not followed and the NDP progress to referendum. This was as a result of new landscape evidence which West Berkshire District Council (WBDC) officers considered overcame the concerns raised by the examiner in his report.

MOTION: Proposed by Councillor Hilary Cole and seconded by Councillor Graham Bridgman:

That the Council:

“agrees to the Stratfield Mortimer NDP progressing to referendum*”.

Councillor Hilary Cole in introducing the item noted that West Berkshire Council had a very proud record of working with town and parish councils. The introduction of the Localism Act 2011 enabled local communities to develop Neighbourhood Development Plans (NDP) which would be used to shape the future of their locality. The NDPs would be developed by the community with guidance from the local authority.

Stratfield Mortimer were the first parish to develop a NDP in West Berkshire and she applauded the Parish Council for their support of the process. She congratulated the Stratfield Mortimer NDP Steering Group for all their hard work. She thanked both groups for their resilience in progressing the NDP.

The Plan had been subjected to a forensic assessment by the Examiner who had recommended that the Plan did not proceed to referendum. Since then new evidence had come to light and the Council was now of the opinion that it could, under the legislation, support proceeding to referendum on the 22 June 2017. Representations  on this proposal were sought between 03 March and 18 April 2017. Officers did not feel that any of the submissions received meant that the decision to proceed to referendum should be revisited.

Councillor Hilary Cole thanked Officers for all the work that they had put into supporting the process.

Councillor Graham Bridgman commented that this had been a long haul and the decision of the Examiner was unexpected. He stated that it had proved to be an interesting process and had involved a lot of hard work.

Councillor Bridgman applauded the Stratfield Mortimer NDP Steering Group for all their hard work. He thanked Planning Officers especially Bryan Lyttle and Laila Bassett for their endeavours. He stated that he had hoped that the referendum could take place in tandem with the General Election but sadly the legislation did not permit this.

Councillor Mollie Lock stated that she too would like to recognise the efforts of the Stratfield Mortimer NDP Steering Group. Councillor Lock noted that the Plan referred to a site for a school. However the Plan did not specify what would happen to the land if the school was not built within five years. She wished to see this land ringfenced for a school and that any time constraints should be removed.

Councillor Hilary Cole noted Councillor Lock’s comments but she explained that the referendum had to go out as presented as the Plan belonged to the community and not to West Berkshire Council.

The Motion was put to the meeting and duly RESOLVED.