Agenda and minutes

The Joint Committee is asked to note any apologies for absence and substitutions received from Members.

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Joint Committee Member Councillor Carlo Guglielmi (TDC). TDC’s Designated Substitute Member (Councillor Jeff Bray) attended in his stead.

Councillor Guglielmi had been unable to attend the meeting as he was recuperating from a surgical procedure.

To confirm and sign as a correct record, the Minutes of the previous meeting of the Joint Committee, held on Monday 18 July 2022.

It was RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting of the Joint Committee held on Monday 18 July 2022 be approved as a correct record and be signed by the Chairman.

Councillors are invited to declare any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or Personal Interest and the nature of it, in relation to any item on the Agenda.

There were no Declarations of Interest made by Members of the Joint Committee on this occasion.

To seek the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community Joint Committee’s agreement to the Submission Version of the Development Plan Document (DPD) for the Garden Community and its recommendation to Full Council at Tendring District Council and Colchester City Council to carry out public consultation and thereafter submit the DPD to the Secretary of State to begin the process of independent examination.

The Joint Committee considered a comprehensive report (A.1) which sought its agreement to the Submission Version of the Development Plan Document (DPD) for the Garden Community (TCBGC) and its recommendation to Full Council at both Tendring District Council (TDC) and Colchester City Council (CCC) in order to carry out the required public consultation and thereafter to submit the DPD to the Secretary of State who would initiate the process of independent examination.

The report was introduced by way of a presentation given by Gary Guiver, Director (Planning), Tendring District Council and Amy Lester, Garden Community Planning Manager, Tendring District Council.

Members were aware that the DPD sought to set an appropriate and ‘sound’ strategy for the future development of the TCBGC. It was the role of the Regulation 19 stage of public consultation to invite representations on the soundness and legal compliance of the DPD based on specified criteria in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The DPD had been prepared by CCC and TDC, as the Local Planning Authorities, in partnership with Essex County Council (ECC).

The Submission Version of the DPD had been informed by the comments received through the earlier public consultation on the Draft Version of the Plan in March - April 2022, as part of the Regulation 18 stage of the plan making process.

The Joint Committee recalled that the proposals and policies in the Submission Version of the Plan had also been informed by a range of evidence base documents – updating and expanding upon the evidence already in place at the Regulation 18 stage and addressing key matters raised during the previous consultation. This evidence included, inter alia, a Strategic Masterplan for the Garden Community, an assessment of the character of Crockleford Heath, an independent assessment of the University of Essex's expansion requirements and a viability appraisal.  The conclusion of that evidence base had been collectively considered to understand its implications and it had informed Officers’ recommendations on the content of the Submission Version Plan.

It was reported that all sections and policies of the Draft Plan had been reviewed, revised and refined in response to the Regulation 18 consultation and the developed evidence base.  Three principal areas of progression in policy development had emerged, these being the approach to land use, employment land and place shaping principles.

Land Uses and Spatial Approach

It was reported that development would be confined to land within the Garden Community location, as identified in the Section 1 Local Plan with the addition of a small triangle of land south of the A120, and would adhere to the ‘Land Use Parameters’, as shown on the Policies Map (Appendix 4). Land within the identified Garden Community location would be specifically allocated or protected for the following uses:-

-     delivery of circa 7,500 new homes with a range of shops, jobs, services and community facilities, including education.  These would be provided within three ‘Neighbourhoods’ being South, North and Crockleford.

-     a new ‘Salary Brook Country Park’ incorporating land and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

To update the Joint Committee on the emerging approach to stewardship at TCBGC. This report:

·      proposes a set of Emerging Stewardship Principles that articulates the Councils’ ambition for aspirational stewardship at the Garden Community;

·      sets out how a pathway to evolving stewardship arrangements will be followed as part of the planning process of the Garden Community;

·      summarises the work that has already been undertaken on stewardship matters to date including feedback from consultation; and

·      sets out the policy context of Section 1 of the Councils’ Local Plans and the approach being taken as part of the Development Plan Document (DPD).

The Joint Committee had before it a comprehensive report (A.2) which updated it on the emerging approach to stewardship at TCBGC and which proposed:-

·      proposed a set of Emerging Stewardship Principles that articulated the Councils’ ambition for aspirational stewardship at the Garden Community;

·      set out how a pathway to evolving stewardship arrangements would be followed as part of the planning process of the Garden Community;

·      summarises the work that had already been undertaken on stewardship matters to date including feedback from consultation; and

·      set out the policy context of Section 1 of the Councils’ Local Plans and the approach being taken as part of the Development Plan Document (DPD).

The report was introduced by Christopher Downes, (Garden Communities Manager, Essex County Council).

The Joint Committee was aware that stewardship was an essential element of what would make the Tendring Colchester Borders Garden Community (TCBGC) a successful and flourishing place. Reflecting the importance of stewardship to the overall TCBGC ambition, Section 1 of the shared Local Plans and the draft DPD included specific policy provision on stewardship, thus setting a policy context for the future design and establishment of detailed stewardship arrangements as the Garden Community progressed through the planning system.

It was considered that agreeing a set of Emerging Stewardship Principles at this stage of the planning process would ensure that clarity was provided to all stakeholders, including the Councils, local communities and community groups, the developers, and other parties likely to be impacted by future stewardship arrangements.

This set of principles could then be used to inform discussions with those stakeholders to ensure all parties work towards a common aim. It could also be used to inform any Memorandum of Understanding with the developers of TCBGC as part of the Examination in Public of the DPD.

Members were informed that, as the detailed planning of the Garden Community progresses, so would the detailed planning of its stewardship arrangements. Given the interrelationship between the physical place (land uses, facilities, infrastructure, utilities, etc) and the way that that physical place was managed and maintained in the long-term, it would be essential that the two progressed in tandem. An indicative pathway for evolving stewardship arrangements would demonstrate how such a process would be followed.

The Officer report focussed on the following matters:-

(a)    Emerging Stewardship Principles, namely:-

(i)      Quality of Place;

(ii)     Community assets;

(iii)   Community identity and cohesion;

(iv)   Professionalism and entrepreneurship;

(v)    Financial sustainability;

(vi)   Accountability and governance; and an

(vii)  Incremental Approach.

(b)    A pathway for evolving stewardship arrangements at TCBGC

(c)    Community and stakeholder engagement on stewardship since Section 1 adoption

(d)    Stewardship in the Development Plan Document; and

(e)    Next steps on stewardship.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Public Speaking Scheme for the Joint Committee, the following persons addressed the Joint Committee on the subject matter of this item. Their comments are given in precis.

Russ Edwards (Project Director TCBGC – Latimer by Clarion Housing Group)

·      Reinforced Latimer’s commitments in this area. Confirmed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.