Agenda item - City Plan Update for Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Report of the Corporate Director, City Services (copy attached).

20.1    Nicola Hurley, Head of Planning, presented the update on City Plan. The paper provides background information on Part 1, which was adopted in 2016, and Part 2, adopted in 2022. Some of the policies in Part 1 are now out of date, and this is the section that will be updated. There is a list of who will be consulted in paragraph 3.11. The consultation will frame what the policies will be later on with further consultation to follow. Appendix 1 lays out these plans.

20.2    Cllr Fishleigh asked about the new housing targets from the government being released. Nicola Hurley replied that they will be published at the end of the year when the Government publish their new National Planning Policy Framework and that the number is currently suggested to be higher than it is currently. The team will need to demonstrate whether the Council can meet the target. 

20.3    Mark Strong asked a question around engagement with the voluntary sector since in the past there has not been much response to formal consultations. He also raised engaging with young people as they will be the ones mostly affected by the updated plan. Nicola Hurley replied that there is a series of questions asking for peoples’ priorities for the city. They will be reaching out to young people via the Brighton & Hove Youth Council and asking them for advice on the best ways to engage with young people for this consultation. The member working group for City Plan 1 review have also suggested reaching out to schools and 6^th form colleges. They will also utilise social media and use a variety of different mechanisms.

20.4    Cllr Lyons asked about numbers in terms of the type of units being built as typically it is usually lots of flats when people want more houses. Nicola Hurley replied that there are no policies at the moment. They will look at the ratios of 1 bed flats, 2 bed flats, 3 bed flats etc but need to be led by the demand which will become apparent during the consultation process as well as data gathered through studies that the team are undertaking. Cllr Lyons commented that people don’t want flats but there is a gap between the pressures on Planning and what people want. Cllr Evans used the example of Short Term Lets and that these flats being built won’t necessarily be used for the purpose they were intended.

20.5    Cllr Sheard commented that people are worried about having somewhere to live in the first place and are very concerned about cost. A 1 bed flat in Brighton is the same price as a 4 bed house in Yorkshire. People are very busy working to make ends meet and won’t necessarily have time to go to consultation meetings or do long surveys online. Nicola Hurley replied that there will be a range of approaches to reach as many people as possible. They will seek advice from relevant groups on this. There will be leaflets, events in community centres and libraries where officers will talk to people. Residents can also use the Your Voice portal which will be topic based so they don’t have to respond to the whole survey, only what they are interested in, and so on.

20.6    Cllr Grimshaw asked a question about whether the consultation will only be on the new plan or whether it will also include the existing plan such as the content of Part 2. Nicola Hurley replied that this is early engagement with questions around affordable housing, sites that can be developed, transport, parking and sustainability and will look at developments across the city. Part 1 was based on evidence dated from 2010 which is now out of date. Part 2 is more focussed on policies used to assess planning applications. However, the framework is being changed by the Government which will impact some of Part 2 that will need to be looked at. They will develop a whole new document of policies and guidance based on the results of the consultation to identify from the city what is most important. They will look to adopt the plan in 2027 to replace the existing Part 1.

20.7    Mark Strong asked whether they would be using the carbon assessment framework for transport strategies. Nicola Hurley replied that it is too early to say.

20.8    Cllr Winder asked why the plan was to 2041 and how flexible the process is in light of things changing, such as a large influx of students preventing families moving in. Nicola Hurley explained that the process is prescribed by the government and is rigid. Part 2 of the City Plan looked at new things like Build to Rent. Planning documents are required to be reviewed every 5 years. Eventually, they would like to merge both parts of the City Plan so there is one document. The Government wants to make it easier to review plans.

20.9    Cllr Thomson commented that there is a gap between what people want but that there is a price, for example, wanting cheaper electricity but not wanting pylons in the area. It is important to bring people on board. Nicola Hurley agreed that this is the challenge of the process and that we ultimately have to comply with the government. If the housing target is over 2000 new homes, we will need to find places for them. In response to a question about consultation from Cllr Thomson, Nicola Hurley explained that there will be subsequent consultations that will happen once policies have been drafted and then a final consultation prior to submission.

20.10  Cllr Lyons asked if there would be consultation on all types of transport, not just cycling and roads but looking at things like trams and monorails etc. Nicola Hurley replied that people can put their thoughts in the transport section in the survey.

20.11  Cllr Pickett asked about staffing resources and whether the Plan will be signed off by the Secretary of State. Nicola Hurley explained that there is a dedicated planning team for this work and that the Secretary of State delegates authority to the Planning Inspector who determined whether the plan is sound or not and can also recommend changes.

20.12  Mary Davies asked a question about overcoming difficulties reaching older people especially online, and whether paper versions will be available. Nicola Hurley replied that there will be information in libraries, and they will ask the Communities Team for advice. The plan will also be adapted to meet the needs of the older population, including looking at adapting homes, wheelchair accessibility etc which will be included in the policy writing.

20.13  Cllr Winder asked a question about how the topic areas were decided and that people need to understand issues such as sustainability and biodiversity. Nicola Hurley explained that the topic areas align with the Corporate Plan and some areas are set by the government. The plan will ultimately go to Cabinet and come back to Overview & Scrutiny to check on developments. The final adoption of the Plan will be by full Council.

20.14 Cllr Evans asked about the timeline. Nicola Hurley replied that they are

looking to start from November until January. In response to a question from Cllr Evans, Nicola Hurley said that all materials have already been designed for this. Cllr Evans would like to keep the plan under review and asked when the second stage will start. Nicola Hurley replied that it will be Autumn 2025 for the second consultation and the plan will be brought back to Overview & Scrutiny in late Spring 2025.

20.15  The paper is to note the work that has been done to date and to agree to keep the City Plan review on the work programme for future opportunities to scrutinise the work as it progresses.

RESOLVED – that the report be noted.

Meeting closed at 6pm.