ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT, PLANNING, TOURISM AND LEISURE SERVICES SELECT COMMITTEE - 4 MAY
2004
REPORT
OF THE HEAD OF PLANNING SERVICES
REASON
FOR SELECT COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
This Select Committee received a report in July 2003 regarding progress on the Masterplan for Pan. Consultants had been selected and a likely timetable of milestones agreed. In discussion with Members, it was agreed that, when appropriate, an extra meeting of the Committee would be arranged to consider the Masterplan. The Committee will receive information from the Council consultants on how the Masterplan has been developed, outlining the key issues raised (though various stakeholder workshops and public consultation) and how these have been addressed in drawing up the draft document.
1. To receive a presentation of the draft Masterplan from the Council's consultants and endorse it for formal public consultation.
2. To suggest any further requirements to the consultants and officers prior to the consultation process being undertaken .
3. That following the consultation process the Committee agree that the Masterplan is received by Executive for decision on it becoming SPG to the Unitary Development Plan.
BACKGROUND
The Unitary Development Plan includes an allocation adjoining Pan for some 20 hectares of housing and employment development. The Council resolved that the best way of bringing forward what is a largely a Council owned site was to undertake a masterplan exercise and to this end appointed Tibbalds as the consultants for the project. Since their appointment Tibbalds, in conjunction with Council officers, has been progressing the Plan through a series of stakeholder workshops, discussion with individual agencies, survey work and information gathering to inform preparation of the Masterplan.
Options were prepared and discussed and following a broad consensus from the Stakeholder Workshops, a local public consultation exercise was carried out over 2 weeks at Downside Middle School. Views and comments from this process have enabled the Plan to be further refined.
The Masterplan is not intended to be a rigid blueprint but will set the context for the consideration of more detailed design and the planning applications that will come forward. In order to give it appropriate weight, the intention is that the Plan will become Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) to the UDP.
In order for the Masterplan to achieve SPG status, the Council will have to undertake a further round of public consultation and report all the comments received (together with how those responses were dealt with) back to the Executive before it can be adopted. It is hoped that this can take place over the next two months before new planning legislation ( due to take effect in July 2004) removes the ability of the Council to adopt as SPG.
RELEVANT PLANS, POLICIES,
STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
The site is allocated in the UDP for mixed housing and employment use and needs to come forward for development to ensure the Council can meet both its general and affordable housing needs.
As the site is in Council
ownership, the Masterplan will ensure that the housing provided will go some
way to addressing homelessness on the Island and keep families out of bed and
breakfast accommodation, both of which are key objectives in the Corporate
Plan.
The Masterplan will also provide
strong linkages with the existing Pan community and the ongoing Neighbourhood
Renewal Project. One of the main
reasons for the success of the Renewal
Bid was the ongoing Masterplan exercise and the opportunity to build one cohesive
community at Pan.
CONSULTATION PROCESS
The Masterplan has been
developed to this draft stage through a continuing dialogue with a wide range
of stakeholders. The exercise has
included three Stakeholder Workshops with representation from the following:
·
Isle of Wight Council (Members and officers);
·
Housing Associations;
·
Community groups (Pan Can Forum);
·
Environment Agency;
·
Police;
·
Southern Water;
·
Business groups;
·
IW Economic Partnership;
·
Education (local school governors and head teacher);
·
SEEDA.
Following the Stakeholder
Workshops, the Council also undertook a two week local public
exhibition/consultation at Downside Middle School with various Council officers
and their consultants available for questions.
The intention through the
exercise has been to ensure the widest possible engagement with these groups
and individuals that have an input into the successes of the Masterplan and are
keen to ensure it delivers a quality sustainable development.
FINANCIAL, LEGAL, CRIME AND
DISORDER IMPLICATIONS
The costs of commissioning the consultants
to carry out the Masterplan have been previously agreed and have been funded
from capital receipts. The value of the
site to the Council is in the order of £15m.
In order to meet its housing
requirements set out in Regional Planning Guidance and Part I of the UDP, it
has been demonstrated through the Urban Capacity Study that the land allocated at is necessary to meet both general and
affordable housing needs.
The Crime and Disorder Manager,
was an invitee to the Stakeholder Workshops which were also attended by the
Police.
APPENDICES ATTACHED
None. The presentation to be received by this Select
Committee from the Council's consultants will be provided as a handout on the
day and is a background paper to this report.
BACKGROUND PAPERS USED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS REPORT
·
UDP 2001
·
Urban Capacity Study (2002)
·
Pan Project Brief - Expression of Interest
Contact Point: Ashley Curzon, Planning Policy Manager ( 01983 823557 or [email protected]