Issue - decisions

Date of Decision:

21^st November, 2022

Decision Maker:

(Including Job Title)

Simon Moss

Assistant Director – Planning, Regeneration and Transport

Specific Delegation:

(If any)

Sub Scheme of Delegation

Strategic Director of Regeneration of Environment

Assistant Director – Planning, Regeneration and Transport Head of Planning and Transport/ Planning Policy Manager

To agree any statements of common ground, memorandums of understanding or other formal statements regarding the Rotherham local plan or other local planning authorities’ local plans. Agreements to be made in consultation with the relevant Cabinet Member.

Brief Description of Decision:

That the Council be a signatory to the Bassetlaw Local Plan Statements of Common Ground.

Reasons for the Decision:

In preparing their Local Plan, Bassetlaw District Council has identified a number of strategic and cross boundary issues on which agreement is sought. Rotherham officers have input to the draft Statements at various stages and are content with the wording. The majority of these agreements have no significant implications for Rotherham and focus on continued engagement and sharing of information. However, the Councils have set out areas of disagreement in the Bassetlaw Local Plan Statement of Common Ground that the proposed Apleyhead Junction strategic employment allocation would have significant implications for increased traffic congestion, community severance and carbon emissions in the South of Rotherham. These issues are the subject of ongoing discussions and joint working with Bassetlaw on a A57 Improvement Plan to seek appropriate mitigation measures.

Details of alternative options considered and rejected:

An alternative option is that the Council does not sign the Statements of Common Ground. This may be detrimental to ongoing co-operation with Bassetlaw District Council, including the ability for the Council to negotiate and prepare its own Statement of Common Ground to support the partial update of the Core Strategy. Being a signatory to the Statement would be of significant benefit to the Council in demonstrating to the planning inspector an active engagement in strategic planning across the city region. Meeting the duty to cooperate is a statutory requirement, if the inspector deems it has not been met a local plan examination cannot continue. The duty cannot be met retrospectively. It is therefore advisable that the Council does all it can to meet the duty in the preliminary stages of the Local Plan Core Strategy partial update prior to submitting the plan for examination.

Conflicts of interest declared by any Executive Member consulted by the decision maker which relates to the decision:

Dispensations Granted:

(If any)

Reports or parts of reports considered

Delegated Decision Report – Bassetlaw Local Plan Statements of Common Ground