Agenda item

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

(i)               noted the provisions of the Planning Act 2008 in relation to the process by which Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects are determined and agrees for the council to be involved in future projects in its role as a host authority;

(ii)              delegated authority to the Strategic Director of Place Operations and Sustainability to manage the District Council’s involvement in Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy and, depending on the scale and nature of the project, the Leader of the Council as appropriate; and

(iii)            Agreed that Planning Performance Agreements be sought from promoters and applicants for each project at the earliest stage to cover the District Council’s costs involved in accordance with the key principles set out in para 37.

KEY DECISION:

Yes.

PORTFOLIO:

Planning and Economy

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED/REJECTED:

As set out in the report.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

None.

DISCUSSION:

The Portfolio Holder for Planning and Economy introduced the report reporting that the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) were planning applications which would be determined by the Secretary of State rather than the local planning authority.  In order for them to be considered as NSIPs, the developer would need to apply for a Development Consent Order with the Planning Inspectorate.  It was anticipated that two of these infrastructure projects would be forthcoming within the district.  There would be various stages involved in the consultation process and it was important for the council to actively participate in order to get the best outcome for local residents.  Delegated authority was sought to the Strategic Director of Place Operations and Sustainability to manage involvement.  Members would be consulted wherever possible, and the Portfolio Holder would be involved in this.  It was important for the council to agree to enter into planning performance agreements in order to cover reasonable costs from the applicant.

The Planning Implementation and Monitoring Team Leader reported that NSIP projects would take a minimum of 2.5 years to complete, but could take up to 4.  It was highlighted that the recent consultation on the CO2 pipeline did not form part of the formal NSIP process and that the two projects detailed within paragraph 20 of the report were not formal NSIP projects at this stage.

A concern was raised by a non Cabinet member regarding consultation on these projects, recognising that the council needed to be properly resourced in order to respond to any consultation, and that these projects would have a significant impact on the local community.  In particular, it was felt there was a need to involve of the local towns and parish councils affected by these infrastructure projects.

The Strategic Director of Place Operations and Sustainability agreed that it was important for the council to form a view and respond to the proposals, which would need to be appropriately resourced.  A mechanism was proposed to be put in place to resource the consultation responses, through Planning Performance Agreements which would be funded by the developer.  It was expected that the District Council would work closely with the Town and Parish Councils in understanding their views, as part of any response.  The first step, however, would be to meet with the developers to set out the expectations around the need for Planning Performance Agreements and the resources required.