Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Planning Officer on the progress of the Aire Valley Leeds Area Action Plan (AVLAAP). The report references the process undertaken and the matters considered so far by the Panel. This report now presents the full list of proposed modifications alongside the consultation comments received and officer’s responses to them for consideration. The primary focus of the modifications is to address matters which go to the soundness of the Plan. As part of the process of considering the representations, opportunities have been taken to include ‘minor’ modifications to clarify and update the document where appropriate.

Subject to the Panel’s approval, the schedule of proposed changes, together with the Publication Draft AVLAAP those changes pertain to, will be recommended to Executive Board to recommend to Full Council to submit the AVLAAP to the Secretary of State for Examination

(Report attached)

Further to Minute Nos. 23, 19^th January 2016, and 34, 1^st March 2016, the Chief Planning Officer submitted a report presenting a comprehensive officer response to all of the representations on, and suggested changes to the publication draft of the Aire Valley Leeds Area Action Plan (AVLAAP) which had been received via the associated consultation processes. In addition, the report also presented the proposed modifications to the AVLAAP and the accompanying sustainability appraisal for Members’ consideration.

Specifically, the Panel was invited to consider the officer responses to the representations which had been made, together with the resulting modifications to the Plan which were proposed. In terms of progressing the Plan, the Panel was also invited to resolve that the full suite of proposed modifications to the publication draft of the AVLAAP and sustainability appraisal, as detailed within the submitted report and appendices, be submitted to Executive Board with the recommendation that the Executive approve the proposed modifications, refer the matter to full Council and recommend that Council resolve to submit the documentation to the Secretary of State for Examination.

The Panel was also provided with an errata sheet detailing several corrections and clarifications to the published documents, which was tabled at the meeting for Members’ consideration.

By way of introduction to the report, the Panel was provided with details regarding the nature and extent of the modifications which had been proposed and also a provisional timeframe by which the Plan could be taken through the required approval processes, prior to formal submission to the Secretary of State.

In response, Members highlighted the comprehensive and robust approach which had been taken towards the development of the AVLAAP to date, highlighted the need for the matter to continue to be duly progressed to the Secretary of State for formal examination and thanked all relevant parties for the extensive work which had been undertaken thus far.

It was then formally moved by Councillor Walshaw and seconded by Councillor J McKenna that the recommendations within the submitted report be approved. As such, it was

RESOLVED –

a)  That the officer responses to representations to the publication draft of the Aire Valley Leeds Area Action Plan consultation, as set out in Appendix A (Schedules 1, 2 and 3) of the submitted report, and subject to the inclusion of those corrections and clarification detailed within the submitted errata sheet, be noted;

b)  That, having considered the proposed modifications to the Publication draft AVLAAP and Sustainability Appraisal (as shown in Appendix A Schedules 1, 2, 3 and 4; the ‘track-changed’ version of the AVLAAP in Appendix B; and the revised Sustainability Appraisal scoring in Appendix C), the documentation, including those corrections and clarification detailed within the submitted errata sheet, be submitted to Executive Board with the recommendation that the Executive approve the proposed modifications, refer the matter to full Council and recommend that Council resolve to submit the documentation to the Secretary of State for Examination.

c)  That approval be given to the process of technical and background paper amendments to the documents (as set out in para 3.8 of the submitted report) which will support the Plan and form the Submission documents for the Planning Inspectorate.