Agenda item

The Committee resolved to advise Mayor and Cabinet of the following:

·         The Committee recommends that Mayor and Cabinet ensures that all options be explored for the consultation on the new Local Plan. The Committee acknowledges that the plan has to be technically sound and legally robust. However, it asks that options be considered for the production of a simplified version of the plan for consultation with as broad a group of residents and stakeholders as possible. The Committee recognises that the Planning Department may need support from other Council teams to achieve this aim.

·         The Committee recommends that options be considered for the engagement of all councillors in the production of the new plan, the Committee believes that specific focus should be placed on the role of ward councillors in engaging local groups and in identifying local opportunities and challenges.

·         The Committee recommends that the new plan be used to promote the inclusion of renewable energy production in new developments.

·         The Committee believes that further consideration should be given to how best areas of public realm (that are delivered as part of new developments) can be maintained in the long term.

The Committee recommends that options should be considered for the retention and expansion of community spaces. It believes that this might best be achieved through the protection and development of the spaces categorised in the D1 planning class. The Committee would welcome the development of a new community space strategy.

5.1    David Syme (Strategic Planning Manager) introduced the report. The following key points were noted:

·         The Local Plan was a lengthy technical document – but work was taking place to make it more accessible.

·         The new plan was important because it would guide development in the borough for the next 15 years.

·         The Local Plan had to be reviewed every five years. Significant changes to national (through the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) July 2018) and regional (the draft London Plan) policy needed to be incorporated into Lewisham’s new Local Plan. This meant that it was a good time to develop the new Local plan.

·         The timetable for the development of the new plan had been agreed by Mayor and Cabinet in January. A draft version of the plan (for regulation 18 consultation) would be prepared for consultation in winter 2018/early 2019.

·         The government was questioning some of the policies in the draft London Plan, which added some risk and potential complications to the timetable for the development and consultation on the new Lewisham Local Plan.

·         Lewisham’s Local Plan had to be in broad conformity with the London Plan and the NPPF. Lewisham would not want to develop policies in response to the draft London Plan that might be significantly changed at a later date.

·         One of the key challenges was the number of homes that were being proposed in the draft London Plan for Lewisham. It was anticipated that 2110 (2117) homes[1] would be required each year in the borough. However, the government’s assessment based on locally assessed housing need estimated that 3100 (3181) homes would be required each year (this figure may be subject to review).

·         The current housing target was 1350 (1380) homes per year and in recent years Lewisham had delivered approximately 1500 homes each year.

·         The new National Planning Policy Framework introduced a housing delivery test, which would assess each local authority’s performance in the delivery of new homes.

·         If Lewisham did not meet its targets it would be required to develop an action plan. If delivery fell below a specified threshold then there would be a presumption in favour of development, which would reduce the ability of the Council to oversee new development proposals.

·         Work was progressing with delivery of the new plan, despite the ongoing uncertainties.

·         All new planning applications would need to be in line with the new plan.

·         A number of studies underpinned the new plan, including: the strategic housing market assessment, a retail capacity study, employment land study, open space study, strategic flood risk assessment, and a new Lewisham character study (which would help to identify key issues within Lewisham’s different neighbourhoods).

·         Work had been taking place with community groups and neighbourhood forums to develop the character study.

·         Officers were also reviewing site capacity and site allocations studies. Feedback would be sought from the Committee – and from all councillors regarding the content of these.

·         Development management policies were also being reviewed and updated. Reviews were being carried out on the effectiveness of existing policies and proposals were being made for potential improvements in the new Local Plan.

·         The Council was learning from examples of best practice at other councils – including Lambeth, Croydon and Tower Hamlets.

·         The structure of local plans was relatively standard. Most included a section which provided an outline of the current situation, the following section included a vision for the future (drawn from the corporate strategy) - the third section included detailed policies (on issues such as housing, employment, the environment and town centres), which would guide future development management decisions. The final section of the plan included a programme for delivery.

·         A number of new local plans had character studies, which defined local places. This enabled the targeting of policy toward local areas. It enabled a better understanding of the connections between different areas in the borough and enabled assessment of the infrastructure required to support development.

5.2    David Syme responded to questions from the Committee. The following key points were noted:

·         There was evidence from engagement across the country that residents were not actively engaged in the development of their local plans. It was a challenge to ensure that people realised how important local plans were for their area and that the decisions in the plan would shape their area over many years.

·         Local plans were not written in accessible language – this was due in part to the fact that there was a requirement to ensure that plans were legally robust and enforceable, in accordance with planning law.

·         Consideration was being given to the possibility of using an accessible version of the character study to engage with communities about their aspirations for their areas.

·         Resources in the Planning Department were limited, however, work was ongoing to consider how to work with local communities to develop the proposals for the new Local Plan. Officers in Planning had also been discussing future plans for engagement with the Council’s communications team.

·         Lewisham’s retail study had recently been updated – but the retail environment was changing rapidly – officers were considering how best to include policies in the plan that could be adapted to change.

·         Consideration was being given to how the Lewisham town centre local plan would be integrated with the new borough wide plan.

·         Planning policy followed a lengthy legal process of development, consultation and approval. As soon as the current plan was finished, work would start on the next version of the plan.

·         There was some delay between changes in real world circumstances and in the development and implementation of new policy.

·         Lewisham was currently working with utility, transport and healthcare providers to review existing requirements for infrastructure and to develop projections for future growth. This work provided the substance for Lewisham’s infrastructure delivery plan – which would also include consideration of the funding required to deliver that infrastructure.

·         Options could be included in the Local Plan for the varying levels of potentially development that would be achievable with and without new infrastructure (such as the Bakerloo line extension).

·         Officers were considering how best to encourage developers to provide a range of facilities in mixed use developments alongside housing and retail.

·         The new Mayor was receiving regular updates on the development of the new Local Plan.

·         Planning officers were working with officers in Community and Cultural Development to determine the requirement for community space in the borough and build in the requirements of the community space strategy.

·         The open space study was being updated as part of the evidence base for the new plan. Work was also taking place with officers in the Environment Division to develop an open space strategy.

·         The new strategy would prioritise the open spaces in the borough that required funding and maintenance.

·         Management and maintenance agreements for open spaces could be included as an obligation for new developments in the new Local Plan.

·         The details of each management and maintenance agreement had to be determined on a case by case basis.

5.3    In the Committee discussions, the following key points were also noted:

·         When homes had been approved - but not delivered by the developer- under-delivery of housing targets would still be the responsibility of the Council. Moreover, the government had not proposed to grant councils new powers to compel developers to deliver homes that had been approved but not built.

·         Ward councillors would be in a good position to provide local knowledge about sites for development.

·         There was concern about the availability of infrastructure (including water and energy supplies) for new homes.

·         Officers should ensure that the new plan was developed in coordination with the priorities of the new Council administration.

·         The Council should engage with the Royal Town Planning Institute to support local assemblies and other community groups about the planning process.

·         Consideration should be given in the new plan to broadening the scope of maintenance and management agreements (to include, for example street sweeping and maintenance).

·         The new plan should support the Council’s ambitions for improving public health, reducing obesity and supporting good mental health.

·         New developments should include capacity for renewable energy generation.

·         There were third sector organisations that could support communities to improve and maintain green spaces. The design of new developments should encourage maintenance by the community.

5.4    The Committee resolved to advise Mayor and Cabinet of the following:

·         The Committee recommends that Mayor and Cabinet ensures that all options be explored for the consultation on the new Local Plan. The Committee acknowledges that the plan has to be technically sound and legally robust. However, it asks that options be considered for the production of a simplified version of the plan for consultation with as broad a group of residents and stakeholders as possible. The Committee recognises that the Planning Department may need support from other Council teams to achieve this aim.

·         The Committee recommends that options be considered for the engagement of all councillors in the production of the new plan, the Committee believes that specific focus should be placed on the role of ward councillors in engaging local groups and in identifying local opportunities and challenges.

·         The Committee recommends that the new plan be used to promote the inclusion of renewable energy production in new developments.

·         The Committee believes that further consideration should be given to how best areas of public realm (that are delivered as part of new developments) can be maintained in the long term.

·         The Committee recommends that options should be considered for the retention and expansion of community spaces. It believes that this might best be achieved through the protection and development of the spaces categorised in the D1 planning class. The Committee would welcome the development of a new community space strategy.