Purpose

1.             
The purpose of this decision is to agree on the
proposed designation of the parish of Longstowe as a Neighbourhood
Area. (See Appendix A – the application submitted by
Longstowe Parish Council including a map).
 

Background

 

2.             
A Neighbourhood Area must be designated before a
Parish Council can prepare a Neighbourhood Plan. There is national
legislation and regulations guiding how this designation should be
carried out.
 

3.             
The national legislation and regulations state
thata local planning authority
must designate a neighbourhood area if it receives a valid
application and some or all of the area has not yet been designated
(see section 61G(5) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 Act
as applied to Neighbourhood Plans by section 38A of the Planning
and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004). Where a Parish Council
has applied for the whole of their parish to be designated the
local planning authority must designate all of the area applied
for.
 

4.             
A valid neighbourhood area application is one where
a ‘relevant body’ has submitted an application to the
local planning authority that must include:
 

·      
a map which identifies the area to which the area
application relates,

·      
a statement explaining why this area is considered
appropriate to be designated as a neighbourhood area,
and

·      
a statement that the organisation or body making the
area application is a relevant body for the purposes of section 61G
of the 1990 Act.
 

5.             
In South Cambridgeshire the relevant body is a
Parish Council.
 

The application from Longstowe Parish
Council

 

6.             
The application from Longstowe Parish Council is for
the whole of their parish to be designated as a neighbourhood area.
None of this area has been previously designated for neighbourhood
planning purposes and the application includes all the information
required.
 

Consideration by South Cambridgeshire District
Council
 

7.             
South Cambridgeshire District Council (SCDC) is
supportive of Longstowe Parish Council preparing a Neighbourhood
Plan for its parish and is keen for the two councils to work
together in considering the future development of the
area.
 

8.             
SCDC considers that the application submitted by
Longstowe Parish Council is valid and therefore that the parish of
Longstowe should be designated as a neighbourhood area.
 

Local Development Scheme

 
The
Local Development Scheme (LDS) sets out the planning documents that
SCDC and Cambridge City Council proposes to prepare. A section in
the LDS lists the neighbourhood areas designated within the Greater
Cambridge area. As Longstowe Neighbourhood
Area is being recommended for designation it is proposed that an
amendment be made to the section of the LDS when it is next
reviewed.

Content

It is
recommended that the Joint Director for Planning and Economic
Development, having consulted with the Planning Lead Member,
approves:

a)            
The designation of a Neighbourhood Area for
Longstoweas proposed by the Parish Council.

b)            
An amendment to be made to the section about
neighbourhood areas within the Local Development Scheme when it is
next reviewed so that Longstowe can be added
to the list of Neighbourhood Areas designated within the
district.