To consider the submitted report on the above Plan.

Prior to consideration of this item and in accordance with Standing Order A24, the Council heard from Mr Leon Butler, Chairman of the Torquay Neighbourhood Forum, who had submitted a statement in relation to the Torquay Neighbourhood Plan.  The Deputy Mayor and Executive Lead for Planning and Waste responded to the statement that had been put forward advising that the matter was to be considered at this meeting.

The Council then received the Torquay Neighbourhood Plan, which had been submitted by the Torquay Neighbourhood Forum, along with the Independent Examiner’s report on the Plan.  It was noted that the Localism Act 2011 enabled communities to become involved directly in planning for their areas and communities were able to produce neighbourhood plans.  Once adopted Neighbourhood Plans formed part of the statutory development plan to inform the determination of planning applications.

In determining the Torquay Neighbourhood Plan, Members noted the Independent Examiner had recommended that, subject to modifications, the Plan met the basic conditions required to proceed to a referendum.  It was further noted that Officers had considered the Examiner’s recommendations and did not concur with a large number of his recommendations.  Therefore, Officers proposed a number of changes, particularly the rewording and retention of a considerable number of policies, which the Examiner had recommended be deleted from the Plan.  The modifications recommended by Officers were considered to better meet the legal basic conditions, as set out in the submitted report.  The Torquay Neighbourhood Forum had indicated that they were in agreement with the Officer recommendations to Council.

The Chairman advised that an updated Appendix 3 had been circulated prior to the meeting.

Councillor Mills proposed and Councillor Haddock seconded a motion as set out below, which was determined by recorded vote and agreed unanimously. The voting was taken by roll call as follows: For: Elected Mayor Oliver, Councillors Amil, Barnby, Bent, Brooks, Bye, Carter, Darling (M), Darling (S), Doggett, Ellery, Excell, Haddock, Hill, Kingscote, Lewis (B), Lewis (C), Long, Manning, Mills, Morey, O’Dwyer, Parrott, Robson, Sanders, Stockman, Stocks, Stubley, Thomas (J), Tolchard and Tyerman (31);  and Absent: Councillors King, Morris, Pentney, Sykes, Thomas (D) and Winfield (6). 

It is recommended that the Council:

(i)      Agrees the decision statement in Appendix 2 to the submitted report and attached to these minutes, which shall be adopted and published accordingly, and that the Torquay Neighbourhood Plan as modified in updated Appendix 3 circulated on 14 November 2018, is submitted to a referendum in accordance with the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and the Neighbourhood Planning (Referendums) Regulations 2012 (as amended);

(ii)     Delegate to the Assistant Director of Transport and Planning to ensure that the Policy maps are finalised for inclusion in the Plan prior to the referendum, reflecting all modifications set out in the decision statement in Appendix 2 to the submitted report;  and

(iii)    Accepts the Examiner’s recommendation that it is not necessary to extend the referendum area and that the most appropriate area for the referendum will be that of the Torquay Neighbourhood Area.

(Note:  Councillor Bye left the meeting after consideration of this item.)