Agenda item

That Executive consider report E/22/30 and recommend that Council formally makes the Escrick Neighbourhood Development Plan 2021-2035 as part of the Development Plan for Selby District following the positive outcome of the referendum held on 6^th October 2022.

The Leader of the Council presented the report which asked Members to recommend that Council formally made the Escrick Neighbourhood Development Plan 2021-2035 part of the Development Plan for Selby District following the positive outcome of the referendum held on 6October 2022.

The Leader explained that through the Localism Act, Selby District Council (SDC) had a duty to support Parish and Town Councils who wished to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan. There were a number of stages involved in producing a Neighbourhood Plan, broadly grouped into three areas. The first was for the Town / Parish Council wishing to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan to submit their proposed Neighbourhood Area to SDC for designation. The second stage was the preparation of the Plan to inform the development of the vision and the formulation of policy, proposals and site allocations. The third stage included the submission of the proposed Plan to SDC for consultation, an independent examination of the plan and subsequent public referendum.

Members noted that Escrick Parish Council, as the qualifying body, had submitted an application to SDC for the whole Parish of Escrick to be formally designated as the Escrick Neighbourhood Area. The application was approved in November 2017. Escrick Parish Council developed a draft Neighbourhood Plan with input from the community and submitted it to SDC in January 2022. The submitted version of the Plan was publicised and comments invited from the public and stakeholders for a six-week period with consultation closing on 4 April 2022.

The Executive also noted that following consultation on the draft Plan SDC, in agreement with the qualifying body, appointed an Independent Examiner, Mr Patrick T Whitehead, to review whether the Plan met the ‘Basic Conditions’ (and other legal requirements) and recommend whether the Plan should proceed to referendum. The Examiner’s Report was published on the Council’s website on 29 June 2022. The report concluded that, subject to making modifications recommended by the Examiner, the Plan met the Basic Conditions (and other legal requirements) and should proceed to referendum.

The report went on to explain that SDC had considered each of the modifications recommended in line with Regulation 18 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and agreed to accept them. For the reasons given by the Examiner, SDC was satisfied that subject to the proposed modifications by the Examiner, the Plan met the Basic Conditions detailed in para 8(2) of Schedule 4B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Delegated approval to proceed to referendum was given on 22 July 2022 by the Head of Planning and Interim Head of Regulatory Services and Place in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Place Shaping.

A referendum was held on 6 October 2022.

Members expressed their support for what was a positive plan to protect Escrick village which had taken a great deal of time to produce.

The Leader of the Council commended the report.

RESOLVED:

The Executive recommended that Council formally made the Escrick Neighbourhood Development Plan 2021-2035 part of the Development Plan for Selby District following the positive outcome of the referendum held on 6 October 2022.

REASON FOR DECISION:

The Executive was asked to agree the recommendation to enable the Escrick Neighbourhood Development Plan to be made part of the statutory Development Plan under the provisions of s38A of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended) which required that the Council must adopt or ‘make’ the Neighbourhood Plan if more than half of those voting have voted in favour of the Plan.