Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Environment

Forward Plan Ref: 2020/042

Contact: Charlotte Simms, Senior Policy Officer – Development Management Tel: 07741 607726

Report by Director for Planning & Place (CA12).

The Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) is a statutory planning document that sets out how Oxfordshire County Council will involve the community (consultees, stakeholders and other interested parties) in preparing and reviewing the Minerals and Waste Local Plan and making decisions on planning applications for minerals, waste and County Council developments.  The Council must comply with its SCI in preparing local plan documents.

The current SCI was adopted by the Council in March 2015.  The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012(as amended) requires SCI’s to be reviewed every 5 years. In view of these Regulations, and the legislative changes that have been made under the Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017, it is now an appropriate and relevant time to update the Statement of Community Involvement to incorporate these changes.  

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to RECOMMEND to Council to:

(a)                adopt the Oxfordshire Statement of Community Involvement with the amendments as shown in Annex 1; and

(b)                to delegate to the Corporate Director for Place and Growth the approval of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Statement of Community Involvement at Annex 1, subject to any further minor changes to be made in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment.

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet considered a report on how the community will be involved in preparing and reviewing the Minerals and Waste Local Plan.

Charlotte Simms, Senior Policy Officer, summarised the report.  The Statement has been updated to comply with legislative changes.  It also deals with Neighbourhood Plans and Statements of Common Ground on cross-boundary matters. It has been updated in relation to digital communication and the council’s vision.  It is up to Full Council to approve the Statement so Cabinet is asked to recommend that to Council.

Councillor Yvonne Constance noted that it was unclear when the next Council meeting could take place and asked if any delay in holding the meeting would impact on the Part 2 process for the local development scheme.  Charlotte Simms confirmed that this would have no impact.

The recommendations were approved unanimously.

RESOLVED: to RECOMMEND to Council to:

a)            adopt the Oxfordshire Statement of Community Involvement with the amendments as shown in Annex 1; and

b)            to delegate to the Corporate Director for Place and Growth the approval of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Statement of Community Involvement at Annex 1, subject to any further minor changes to be made in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Environment.