Purpose

Purpose
 

1.      
The purpose of this report is to agree the
Council’s response to the public consultation on the
submission version of the Pampisford Neighbourhood Plan. The
consultation closes on 30 September 2024 at 5pm.
 

Background
 

2.      
The Pampisford Neighbourhood Area was designated on
29 March 2018. The neighbourhood area is for the whole parish of
Pampisford. 

 

3.      
Officers have met with the Parish Council ahead of
the submission consultation process and recognise the hard work
that has been put into preparing the plan. The Parish Council
has worked hard to engage with the local
community and has ensured that they have had an opportunity to
input into the final plan.
 

4.      
A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and
Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) screening was undertaken on a
draft version of the Neighbourhood Plan, and a screening
determination was published in May
2023.
 

5.      
Pre-submission public consultation on the draft
Neighbourhood Plan was undertaken by the Parish Council from
9 October until 19 November 2023. Officers provided a formal response to the consultation,
providing constructive comments about the plan to assist the Parish
Council with finalising the Neighbourhood Plan. Officers have met
with the Parish Council to discuss these comments and are aware
that the submission version of the plan has taken on board many of
the suggested changes.
 

6.      
On 21 June 2024,
Pampisford Parish Council submitted their
Neighbourhood Plan to South Cambridgeshire District Council.
Officers have
confirmed, as set out in the Legal Compliance Check for the
Neighbourhood Plan, that the submitted version of the Neighbourhood
Plan and its accompanying supporting documents comply with all the
relevant statutory requirements at this stage of plan
making. The Neighbourhood
Plan and its accompanying supporting documents are published on
our
website.
 

7.      
We therefore were able to carry out a consultation
on the Pampisford Neighbourhood Plan from 5 August until 30
September 2024.

 

8.      
Officers, in conjunction with Pampisford Parish Council, are in the
process of appointing an independent examiner to consider this
Neighbourhood Plan. All comments submitted during the public
consultation on the submission version of the Neighbourhood Plan
will be provided to the examiner for their
consideration.
 

Considerations

 

9.      
The Pampisford
Neighbourhood Plan has been prepared by
Pampisford Parish Council to
provide planning policies for development in the area, with the aim
of providing greater clarity when determining planning applications
in the area. The Neighbourhood Plan includes 19 planning policies
that cover a range of issues including:

(i)            
Residential development

(ii)           
Employment

(iii)          
Local Green Spaces

(iv)         
Village Character

(v)           
Climate change

(vi)         
Biodiversity

(vii)        
Heritage assets
 

10.   
To successfully proceed through its examination to a
referendum, a Neighbourhood Plan must meet a number of tests known
as the ‘Basic Conditions’. These tests are different to
the tests of soundness that a Local Plan must meet. The

Basic Conditions are set out in
national planning guidance and are summarised as
follows:

a)   
having regard to national policies and advice
contained in guidance issued by the Secretary of State it is
appropriate to make the Neighbourhood Plan.

b)   
the making of the Neighbourhood Plan contributes to
the achievement of sustainable development.

c)    
the Neighbourhood Plan is in general conformity with
the strategic policies contained in the development plan for the
area.

d)   
the making of the Neighbourhood Plan does not
breach, and is otherwise compatible with, EU
obligations.

e)   
prescribed conditions are met in relation to the
Neighbourhood Plan, including that the making of the neighbourhood
plan is not likely to have a significant effect on a European
wildlife site or a European offshore marine site either alone or in
combination with other plans or projects.

f)     
the making of the neighbourhood development plan
does not breach the requirements of Chapter 8 of Part 6 of the
Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

 

11.   
Our Neighbourhood Planning Toolkit includes Guidance Note 11
(What
are the Basic Conditions and How to Meet Them), which
sets out further details on each of the Basic Conditions. When a
Neighbourhood Plan is submitted to the local planning authority it
must be accompanied by a Basic Conditions Statement that sets out
how the Parish Council considers that their Neighbourhood Plan
meets the Basic Conditions.

 

12.   
When considering a Neighbourhood Plan, the examiner
will assess whether or not the Neighbourhood Plan
meets the Basic Conditions. When an
examiner recommends that the Neighbourhood Plan should proceed to
referendum (if it meets the Basic Conditions, with or without
modifications), the examiner’s report must also set out
whether the referendum area should be extended beyond the
neighbourhood area. Comments made during the current consultation
on the submission version of the Neighbourhood Plan, which will be
provided to the examiner for their consideration, should therefore
address whether the submitted Neighbourhood Plan meets the Basic
Conditions and can also address whether the referendum area should
be extended beyond the neighbourhood area.

 

13.   
South Cambridgeshire District Council is fully
supportive of parish councils bringing forward neighbourhood plans
for their areas, including Pampisford
Parish Council’s decision to prepare a
Neighbourhood Plan, and officers have been supporting the
Parish Council in the plan’s
preparation. The Council’s proposed response to this public
consultation on the submission version of the Neighbourhood Plan is
set out in Appendix A.
 

14.   
South Cambridgeshire District Council is supportive
of the aims of the Pampisford
Neighbourhood Plan and our comments are intended to
help the plan to be successful at examination as well as delivering
policies that are clear in their meaning and are unambiguous in their interpretation. South
Cambridgeshire District Council recognise the achievement
of Pampisford Parish Council in reaching this stage of submitting their plan
to us for examination.
 
If the
examiner is minded to recommend that the Neighbourhood Plan should
proceed to referendum, the Council does not feel that the
referendum area needs to be extended beyond the designated
Neighbourhood Area as the planning policies
included in the plan would not have a substantial, direct or
demonstrable impact beyond the Neighbourhood Area.

Content

That
the Lead Cabinet Member for Planning agrees the response to the
submission consultation on the Pampisford
Neighbourhood Plan as set out in Appendix
A.