Meeting No. 6 –
1.Present:- Christine Marsh (Chair) ; Tom
Barwood ; John Love; Frances ; Don
Bent ;Robert Plumb; Steve Blood; Bob Dunnet & Ewen Rae; with Chris &
Melanie from WDBC Planning.
Apologies: - Sonia Burgess; Philip Wagstaff;
John Askew; Nick Morgan; Roger Grainger; Pippa St John Cooper; Sticklepath PC;
2. Matters Arising
2.1 MCTA SW Regional
Award
The Devon
Heartlands Community Partnership has received the Action for Market Towns
Regional Award as the most innovative Community Partnership, which recognised
its leading role in the development of the West Devon MCTi Joint
Partnership.
2.2 MCTi Quick
Wins
NTDT confirmed
that cheques had been sent to Chagford & Okehampton Skate Park Groups as
authorised.
2.3 LDF
Process
WDBC Planners have
been contacted to discuss the LDF Process.
3. Local Development Framework
(LDF)
The discussions
were led by Chris Dunford – WDBC Forward Planner with a fuller summary attached.
A precise of some of the Key Points is as follows:-
It is in all our
interests that Organisations get involved & as early as
possible.
4. Project
Updates
4.1 Youth
Café
The refurbishment
work is complete & the building will be handed over on Thursday
27th July. It will formally open in September. Well done all
involved.
4.2 Okehampton Moving
Pictures
OMP has recruited
an Rural Co-ordinator starting in September, who will be developing the Village
Programme. This extended services will require additional technical team members
therefore if any one is interested please contact Ewen at ewen@rae.eclipse.co.uk
4.3
We have produced
with the railway a 5-year vision which has been sent to Devon Renaissance to
facilitate discussions on securing funding to match the sizeable investment from
ECT Group. A meeting has been arranged for early August.
4.4 Okehampton Mill
Meeting
We have submitted
an Expression of Interest to Alder King (WDBC’s Agent) on behalf of a group of
Community Organisations, who want to develop the Mill site as a Learning
Resource Centre, possibly including the library. In the event that WDBC want the
Group to take this further, DCC have allocated £4,000 to contribute towards a
feasibility study, but other contributions will be needed.
WDBC report that
there has been a slow response, but the deadline has been extended until next
week. Neither Heartlands nor WETS have been advised of this.
5
Feed Back From :-
4.1 Devon Towns
Forum
We have attended
the successful Project Development and Funding Seminar & the AGM. The next event is a free
website training day, using the SW Chambers model, here at the Ockment Centre at
the end of August. There is still the odd place or two available, if you are
interested then contact Paul Delahoy.
4.2 West
A meeting of the
Partnership was held in June & the topics discussed included the WDBC Core
Strategy Options & the ways to re-invigorated WDBC’s Project Support
Network. The next MCTi Partnership meeting is programmed for September.
5.
AOB
5.1
The TDS Group have
been advised that the TDS, produced in December 2004, has been approved by WDBC,
who will use it as background material for the Okehampton Area Action Plan &
as a planning document. The meeting congratulated the TDS Group on an excellent
job.
5.2 Okehampton Area
Profile
DCC has collated
all the demographics & statistical information together in one document,
which clearly demonstrates the gravity of Okehampton’s plight & depth of
deprivation.
6. Date Of Next Meeting Wednesday 1st November
at
LOCAL
DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK (LDF)
NOTES FROM
DISCUUSIONS LEAD BY CHRIS DUNFORD
Part 1 - What
is the LDF?
It is the
replacement for the Local Plan Process with the primary statutory purpose “To
promote Sustainable Development”.
It is a
series of documents which are being developed progressively all of which are
subject to public examination by an inspector.
The Key
Differences are:-
a)
To Promote
Sustainable Development. Sustainable development is not fully defined in the
2004 Act
b)
It is based
on Spatial Planning that is how places function & how changes can be
managed.
c)
It is more
flexible, changes to LDF Documents can be made individually at any time, but
must be approved by the Secretary of State (GOSW).
d)
It is
includes a 20-year vision statement.
e)
The next
document up the chain is the Regional Spatial Strategy, which will replace the
Devon Structure Plan.
f)
To
proactively engage with the community.
Document
Preparation Process is in three steps:-
Step 1
– WDBC
Planners produce Preliminary Issues and Options paper & put it out to
consultation to
i)
appropriate
groups & people in accordance with their list, &
ii)
public places
for inspection & comment, including WDBC Website.
Step 2
- Comments are
received & analysed and a Preferred Options document prepared and put out
for consultation as above.
Step 3
- Comments are
received & analysed, with a Final Document submitted to the Secretary of
State (GOSW). At this stage there will be an examination by the Planning
Inspector & another opportunity for the public to object. The Inspector will
mainly apply a number of tests of Soundness to prove the document is
satisfactory.
Part 2 –
Statement of Community Involvement
This basically describes how the
Planners will engage with community & demonstrate how they have done it.
The Final Document was submitted to
GOSW in February. Following a thorough review by the Inspector his report has
been received which recommends only minor changes.
Part 3 – CORE Strategy
The First Options was issued in June
for public consultation with comments & objections made by mid July. They
have received a good number of comments which they will
analyse.
The CORE Strategy is focused on 4 key
themes:-
§
Housing
Provision
§
Economy
& Employment
§
Access to
Services & Facilities
§
Environment
Part 4 – Okehampton Area Action
Plan
This is a Plan for the Okehampton Town
& Okehampton Hamlets, which is specific for this area. It is being prepared
& an Issues and Options document will be published for community
consultation in late September.
There will be 2 other Area Action Plans
for Tavistock & Rural West Devon, which will follow Okehampton.
Part 5 - Community
Involvement
The broad principles & methodology
is set out in the Statement of Community Involvement.
The importance of Community Involvement
from a very early stage cannot be over emphasised as the effective ability to
influence the LDF Documents will diminish the further along the process. For
example Objections at the final approval stage should explain why the document
fails one or more of the soundness tests and why the proposed change will make
the document sound. This could be difficult & be a major stumbling block for
Objectors at the final stage.
The Planners have a list of Consultees
to whom notification of the publication of planning documents is automatically
sent. For an organisation to be added to the list they should formally write to
WDBC Planning Dept requesting to put on to this list.
In addition they have held a series of
events around the Borough, with varying degrees of success.
General Comments
Made:-
Chris Dunford has a set of summary
sheets outlining the above in more detail & in plain English. If you would
like a set (highly recommended) please contact
him.