to consider the following motions received (if any) in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.1
(a) By Cllrs Abbott and Birch
“The Aldi Project at Ivybridge has given rise to planning, financial and local economic concerns from members of the public and outside bodies/ organisations.
Whilst acknowledging that the planning concerns will be addressed by the Development Management Committee in the determination of the planning application, the financial and economic concerns remain to be addressed.
To address these concerns Council requests the Overview and Scrutiny Committee examine those parts of the project relating to its finance and economic consequences, and report back to the July meeting of Council with its findings and recommendations.”
(b) By Cllrs Hodgson and Rose
“As part of its new climate policy for planning, this council will require Flood Modelling to be carried out for new developments over 10 houses and all new drainage assessments are based on the most recently published IPCC (intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change) reports to ensure that the most up to date risk assessment data is applied.”
Minutes:
18/22
It was noted that two motions had been received in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 10.1.
(a) By Cllrs Abbott and Birch
“The Aldi Project at Ivybridge has given rise to planning, financial and local economic concerns from members of the public and outside bodies/ organisations.
Whilst acknowledging that the planning concerns will be addressed by the Development Management Committee in the determination of the planning application, the financial and economic concerns remain to be addressed.
To address these concerns Council requests the Overview and Scrutiny Committee examine those parts of the project relating to its finance and economic consequences, and report back to the July meeting of Council with its findings and recommendations.”
In his introduction, the proposer emphasised that, as a Member of the Development Management Committee, he would be making no comments on the planning merits of the proposals. However, the proposer was of the view that the options, opportunities and challenges associated with the proposals had still to be fully explored. Furthermore, the potential impact on both the local economy and the vibrancy of the town centre also warranted further consideration and it was therefore felt that a formal review by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee was justified.
During the ensuing debate, reference was made to:
(a) a great deal of correspondence having already been sent to Members of the Development Management Committee;
(b) the financial aspects of the Scheme being fully explored before Members took a final decision and that that project was next due to be considered at the Executive meeting in July 2022;
(c) parking arrangements. The point was made that incorrect information was circulating in the town of Ivybridge and this needed to be corrected. The Council was currently examining options relating to alternative parking arrangements during the construction phase of the supermarket;
(d) local retailers being likely to benefit from a large supermarket opening in the town due to the increase in footfall it would bring;
(e) the project being as closely monitored as possible and, as such, in addition to the Executive meeting of 7 July 2022, it should also be brought before the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and, if scheduling permitted, the Audit Committee;
(f) the intention of the motion. In support of the motion, it was noted that this Motion on Notice was not concerned with the merits of whether or not the Aldi development should progress, it was simply seeking approval for the proposals being brought to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee for further examination to demonstrate to local residents that the Council was listening to their concerns;
When put to the vote, the Motion was declared LOST.
(b) By Cllrs Hodgson and Rose
“As part of its new climate policy for planning, this council will require Flood Modelling to be carried out for new developments over 10 houses and all new drainage assessments are based on the most recently published IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change) reports to ensure that the most up to date risk assessment data is applied.”
In her introduction, the proposer made reference to recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, supported by our own Meteorological offices, which included in their flood modelling reference to the anticipated more extreme weather events to come, than the current data (that dated back to 2013) that was being used in determining flood risk in developments
Furthermore, the proposer stated that flood modelling took account of the impacts of Climate Change including those of extreme weather events and would provide a better toolkit for Planning Committees in making their decisions.
In debate, the following points were raised:
a) It was noted that any Planning Policy related decisions would need to be taken in conjunction with both West Devon Borough Council and Plymouth City Council as part of the Joint Local Plan (JLP);
b) It was not realistic to request flood modelling on all Planning applications, as this would add an unnecessary burden to sites which were at no risk of flooding and to the Environment Agency which would be required to undertake the Modelling work;
c) Devon County Council (as the local Flood Authority) had access to the most up to date information;
d) There was sympathy expressed for the Motion on Notice, but there were question marks over how much weight, in Planning terms, it would carry. As a consequence, it was considered to be more appropriate for this issue to be raised as part of the consultation currently taking place on the JLP Development Policy 32.
When put to the vote, the Motion was declared LOST.