A report by the Director of Regeneration, Housing and Planning sought approval for the policy direction to be contained within a Proposed Submission Draft Core Strategy before the final suite of documents were prepared for publication and submission to the Secretary of State for public examination by an independent Planning Inspector.

The Core Strategy would assist in the delivery of corporate priorities related to Your Neighbourhood and Your Economy. Once adopted, the Core Strategy would replace the strategic polices contained within the Unitary Development Plan adopted in February 2000 and the Council’s Interim Planning Policy for New Housing Development adopted in October 2005, following the proposed revocation of the Regional Spatial Strategy by the Secretary of State.

The Director’s report set out the findings of public consultation approved by the Cabinet on 21 July 2011 (Minute 80 refers) on draft Settlement Area Policies; recommended that the policy direction indicated in the draft Core Strategy attached to the report be approved, in principle, to allow the necessary assessments and appraisals to be completed before the final documents were presented to the Council for approval for publication and submission to the Secretary of State; that the Council’s Sustainability Appraisal Panel be involved in the preparation of the final statutory sustainability appraisal of the Core Strategy; that the statutory assessment of the Core Strategy under the Habitats Regulations be undertaken by independent specialist consultants under an existing sub-regional contract with the Merseyside districts; that the findings of the remaining evidence base reports on employment, housing, retail, open space and recreation, water and transport be reported back alongside the finalised Core Strategy; and that further internal and external liaison be undertaken to confirm the soundness of the plan and compliance with the newly introduced duty to co-operate.

The report also recommended that the Council respond to a request from Sefton Council to indicate that Wirral is unlikely to be able to accommodate additional development to accommodate development needs arising within Sefton (paragraph 8.1 below refers).

RESOLVED: That:

(1)  the Proposed Submission Draft Core Strategy attached to the report be approved as the basis for preparing a final document for public consultation and submission to the Secretary of State;

(2)  the findings of the remaining evidence base reports on employment, housing, retailing, open space and recreation, water and transport be reported back to Cabinet alongside the final Proposed Submission Draft Core Strategy;

(3)  the Proposed Submission Draft Core Strategy attached to the report be approved for further informal internal and external liaison to confirm the soundness of the emerging Core Strategy and to satisfy the new duty to co-operate;

(4)  the independent Sustainability Appraisal Panel be involved in the preparation of the sustainability appraisal for the final Proposed Submission Draft Core Strategy;

(5)  the Habitats Regulations Assessment of the Proposed Submission Draft Core Strategy be undertaken by independent specialist consultants under the existing sub-regional contract with the Merseyside districts;

(6)  the final Proposed Submission Draft Core Strategy and its accompanying documents be reported back to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 61