GGG Cllr Catherine Young sent the below questions for response and further deiscussion at GBC's Council meeting on 9 February 2022.
Obviously sometime has now passed since the Review was announced. The matter is urgent as we are being pressed by our residents for a moratorium on sites and we want to know if that is possible. A full report will be given to Councillors before April's meeting, but Catherine is hopeful, as are others, that the Local Plan Panel of which she is a member will get early sight of hat is being covered by the independent consultant.
FROM THE MEETING'S ORDER PAPERS
Councillor Catherine Young to ask the Leader of the Council, Councillor Joss Bigmore, the
question set out below. (Councillor Bigmore’s response to each element of the question is set
out in italics below each question).
“Can the Leader ofthe Council provide information on the following:
1.An update on the Local Plan review.
Work on the Review is underway, we expect the results of the new transport study
this summer and we are considering which other evidence needsre-evaluating.
We have made progress in commissioning an independent assessment to advise
us on the process.
2.Who has been appointed as independent consultant and what is their background?
Mary Cook of Town Legal LLP has been appointed. She is a leading planning
barrister.T own Legal have been voted ‘Most highly Rated Planning Law Team’ by
Planning Magazine for the past three years.
3.What is this person’s brief and what is the scope of work proposed?
The Council resolution [see Minute No. CO102] approved last year forms the basis
for the brief. This includes advising the Council on the appropriate route to review
the Local Plan. We plan to report back including reflecting detail regarding the
scope of work as per below.
4.What are the timelines, planned deliverables and milestones for the work involved?
We plan to report back to Full Council in response to the motion requesting
independent advice at its next meeting on 5 April 2022, we are arranging a briefing
for all Councillors with Mary Cook ahead of that meeting to allow for questions
around her advice which we will share.
5.Would the Leader of the Council consider re-instating the Local Plan Panel (cross
party) to enable involvement and provide support through this process?
As indicated above we plan to involve all Councillors in consideration of the advice
and appropriate route to review and update the Plan.”
The webcast of the meeting with follow-up questions can be found here:
https://democracy.guildford.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=159&MId=1262&Ver=4
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