Planning Policy Cabinet Advisory Group

PLANNING POLICY CABINET ADVISORY GROUP     Chair   Portfolio Holder for Planning & Climate Change   Composition   In political balance (Chair not included in balance).   The meetings will be minuted.  Agenda and minutes will be publicly available, although some papers presented to the PPCAG will require consideration in private.   Training   All members of the Advisory Group and Councillors attending as substitutes must:   (a)           Have undertaken any mandatory training on the relevant law and procedures that relate to the Group’s work; and must,   (b)          Undertake further mandatory training, on an ad hoc basis, when there are changes to procedure or relevant legislation that are deemed to be significant by the relevant Chief Officer.   Frequency   Meetings will be called in response to the need for the presentation of draft material.  As a guide, meeting frequency will be likely to be bi-monthly.     Purpose   The PPCAG is a cross-party group that will provide appropriate scrutiny and input to all relevant matters regarding local plan-making and other areas of planning policy preparation.   NB: The PPCAG will replace the Local Plan Review Group (meetings of which will cease once the PPCAG is constitutionally established).           Terms of Reference     (i)             To oversee the process of the preparation of all Development Plan Documents (DPDs), including emerging Local Plans and Neighbourhood Plans, prior to consideration by Cabinet and then (in the case of Local Plan documents) to Full Council.

  (ii)           To oversee the preparation of the Local Plan Timetable (formerly the Local Development Scheme) and the Statement of Community Involvement, prior to consideration by Cabinet and/or Full Council.

  (iii)         To oversee the process of preparing a proportionate evidence base to support the delivery of Local Plans, ensuring that its content and direction (both in terms of policies and land allocations) are fully informed by up-to-date and robust evidence which meets the tests of soundness at Local Plan Examination.   (iv)         To ensure, in discharging (i), (ii) and (iii) above, that Local Plans are positively prepared and evidentially based which results in a robust strategy that seeks to meet objectively assessed development and infrastructure needs, in order to ensure that they meet the ‘tests of soundness’ set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

  (v)           To oversee the process of the preparation of charging schedules relating to the Community Infrastructure Levy or any successor planning obligation provisions that are drafted to fund local infrastructure, prior to consideration by Cabinet and/or Full Council.   (vi)         To provide strategic planning input into the preparation of all Monitoring Reports, Position Statements, and any other annually required documents that are necessary as part of maintaining an up-to-date evidence base, prior to consideration by Cabinet.   (vii)        To oversee the process of the preparation of Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs), prior to consideration by Cabinet.   (viii)      To oversee the process of the preparation of non-statutory Planning Advice Notes (PANs) or any other informal policy advice or guidance.   (ix)          To oversee the process of reviewing, appraising, and/or amending existing Conservation Areas; areas that are subject to Article 4 Direction; and the Local List of Non-Designated Heritage Assets, prior to consideration for approval by cabinet.   (x)           To oversee the process of making new Conservation Areas and Article 4 Direction areas, prior to consideration for approval by Cabinet.   (xi)          To oversee the process of reviewing, appraising and/or amending all other matters of planning policy, or the introduction of new policy, that lies outside of the scope of the Local Plan process, prior to consideration for approval by the appropriate decision-making body.   (xii)        To provide strategic planning input into the preparation of consultation responses affecting national planning legislation, policy and guidance, prior to any consideration by Council Business Committee.   (xiii)      To provide strategic planning input into the preparation of responses regarding other district, county, sub-regional or regional consultation matters, prior to any consideration by Council Business Committee.   (xiv)      To provide strategic planning input into the preparation of plan-making material that will be subject to public consultation.

    NB: The monitoring of expenditure within agreed budgets on the Local Plan or other planning policy matters remains a matter for Cabinet, not PPCAG.