To receive apologies for absence. 

Apologies for absence were received from Mrs A Steward and Mrs L Turner.

Members are asked at this stage to declare any interests they may have in any of the following items on the agenda. The Members’ Code of Conduct requires that declarations include the nature of the interest and whether it is a personal or prejudicial interest.

The following declarations were made:

• Mr F. Sharpe – personal and prejudicial interest as a member of Swaffham Town Council in relation to a parcel of land the Town Council had an interest in for proposed retail units which would be situated near to his own unit.
• Mr W. Smith – personal and prejudicial interest in Gt Ellingham as he lived in the village and had submitted land for consideration.
• Mr S. Askew – personal and prejudicial interest in Old Buckenham as he lived in the village and had submitted land for consideration.
• Lady K. Fisher – personal interest in relation to land ownership within the stone curlew buffer zone.
• Mr P. Duigan – personal and prejudicial interest as a member of Dereham Town Council that had an interest in land…………….
• Mr I. Monson – personal and prejudicial interest as a landowner in Oxborough.
• Mrs T. Hewett – personal and prejudicial interest on land in Shipdham that she had withdrawn from the LDF process.

To note the names of any non-members who wish to address the meeting.

None.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

Members are asked to note that the appendices to this report will be sent under separate cover:

• Appendix A - Draft Preferred Options Site Specific Policies and Proposals Document

• Appendix B – Officer Response to LDF Task and Finish Group Recommendations

• Appendix C – Draft Sustainability Appraisal Report

• Appendix D – Revised Alternative Allocation Options for Dereham and Watton

• Appendix E – Initial Draft Habitats Regulations Assessment of Site Specific Policies and Proposals

• Appendix F – Revised Settlement Boundary Maps as discussed with Beeston, Croxton, East Tuddenham, Gt. Hockham, Garvestone, Gooderstone, Harling, Saham Toney and Yaxham Parish Councils

The Chairman, William Nunn explained that this document had been put together by Capita Symonds Planning Policy Team which incorporated the findings of the eight meetings of the LDF Task & Finish Group and the views of the Towns and Parish Councils.

The joint meeting sought Members’ endorsement for the document to be published for a six week consultation period starting towards the end of May 2010.  Following the consultation, the Preferred Options document would then be brought back to Cabinet for formal approval.  A final document would be submitted for a further period of public consultation in October 2010, prior to proceeding to Public Examination.

The Chairman felt that the document was very clear and concise.  Members were not therefore being asked to go through every map and report page by page as this work had already been completed by the Task & Finish Group.

Members were provided with a presentation highlighting the key points contained in the document (presentation attached).

Officers from the Planning Policy Team were introduced and were in attendance to make their presentations and answer questions.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer provided the meeting with a brief background to the process which covered 108 rural parishes and three market towns.  The remaining towns, Attleborough and Thetford would be discussed and addressed through Area Action Plans.

The background information, issues and options were as fully set out in paragraph 3 of the report.

A range of reasonable alternative options had been considered for housing and employment and these had been presented in the document at Appendix A.  Officers had advised that there was a reasonable prospect that these allocations could come forward and as a result should be consulted on in the preferred options stage.

The draft Sustainability Appraisal report (Appendix C) which was a large 300+ page document was available for Members to view at the meeting if they so wished.

1.            DEREHAM

In terms of housing, the preferred allocations for new housing in Dereham comprised three sites all allocated to the east of the town along Norwich Road.  This was land at the former Maltings, land off Greenfields Road and land adjacent to Windmill Avenue (reference D1, D2 and D3).  The preferred sites for employment development were at Rash’s Green and land at Dereham Business Park, adjacent to the Breckland Council building (ref: D4 and D5).

Reference D12 – Georges Road/Nunn’s Way to Cowper Road was land that had been identified as an area of search that could accommodate a balance of around 5,000m2 retail allocation.

Reference D15 – land east of Dereham Town Football Club was identified as open space for a new cemetery.

The preferred options were endorsed as recommended.

Referring to the alternative sites, revised options were presented, the first being at Dumpling Green and the second off Draytonhall Lane, Scarning (site reference D.7R and D.8R).  It was agreed that site D.7R should remain as a reasonable alternative option and site D.8R be excluded from the document as it was considered unreasonable  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.