1. INTRODUCTION
The Statement of Community Involvement
(
SCI
)
1.1 The planning system is changing. The
intention of the new system is to speed up the process of preparing
development plans and to make them more flexible and responsive to
change. A key aim of the new system is to strengthen community
involvement in the planning process.
1.2 As part of the new system local
planning authorities are required to produce a Statement of
Community Involvement (
SCI
). This statement
must set out how the local planning authority proposes to involve
the community in drafting planning documents and in making
decisions on planning applications. Although Havant Borough Council
already undertakes considerable community consultation, this
statement allows us to formalise these practices into the planning
system. It also provides the Council with the opportunity to look
at wider involvement practices across the Council and to identify
how community involvement in the planning process could be
developed in the future.
1.3 A key part of the new system is
‘front loading’. This means that greater detail and public
involvement will be needed right from the start of the plan making
process. Local people should be engaged in the planning process at
every stage and in particular when they can have a real opportunity
to influence the outcome. Current consultation arrangements often
mean that the wider community only get the opportunity to respond
to outcomes rather than influence them.
Havant's Vision for Community
Involvement
1.4 The Council’s vision for community
involvement is that the whole community will have the opportunity
to engage in the planning process in a meaningful way, to
contribute ideas and influence land use decisions related to their
local area, as a fundamental part of developing sustainable
communities.
Benefits of Community
Involvement
1.5 The Council considers that the
benefits of involving the community and other stakeholders in the
formulation of planning policy and in making decisions on planning
applications are that it will:
- Increase understanding of the planning process;
- Strengthen the evidence base for plans, strategies and planning
decisions;
- Encourage community commitment to any proposed
developments;
- Promote ownership of policies and proposals by the local
community by enabling them to influence proposals at an early stage
before any key decisions have been made;
- Develop consensus, thus providing more certainty for
prospective developers and the local community; and
- Minimise the need for a lengthy and controversial examination
process.
1.6 This statement sets out which planning documents will be
subject to public consultation, who will be consulted and when and
how the consultation will take place in the preparation of
documents and decisions on planning applications.
The Local Development Framework (
LDF
)
1.7 In September 2004, Parliament passed the Planning
and Compulsory Purchase Act, which sets out major changes in the
arrangements for the planning system. The most significant change
to the planning system at the local level is that Local Development
Frameworks (
LDF
)
will replace the current system of Local Plans. Rather than a
single document the
LDF
will consist of a number
of documents called Local Development Documents (
LDD
) each covering a specific
topic or area. The
LDD
s can be prepared and
adopted independently of each other, allowing for the continual
updating of planning policy.
1.8 There are two main types of
LDD
:
(i) Development Plan Documents (
DPD
s)
These include the Core Strategy, Proposals Map, Site Specific
Allocations of land and Area Action Plans. These are subject to
independent examination and have the full weight of development
plan status when the Council are considering planning
applications.
(ii) Supplementary Planning Documents (
SPD
s)
These will not have development plan status, but will be used
to expand policy or provide further detail to policies in the
development plan documents. However, like
DPD
s they will be informed by
extensive community involvement and sustainability appraisal, but
they will not be subject to independent examination.
Sustainability Appraisal and Strategic Environmental
Assessment
1.9 As part of the Government’s commitment to the
creation of sustainable communities, local planning authorities are
required to carry out sustainability appraisal (
SA
) of all
DPD
s and
SPD
s within the
LDF
. The purpose
of
SA
is to appraise
the social, environmental and economic effects of the strategies
and policies in a
LDD
from the outset of the
preparation process. This will ensure that decisions are made that
accord with sustainable development.
1.10 European legislation
[Strategic
Environmental Assessment Directive 2001/42/EC -27 June
2001] also requires local planning authorities to carry out a
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) which focuses primarily on
the environmental impact of policies and proposals. The Government
guidance on
SA
incorporates the requirements of the
SEA
, therefore all
references to
SA
within Havant’s
LDF
must be taken to include
the requirements of the
SEA
directive.
Havant Borough Local Development Framework (
LDF
)
1.11 The Council’s Local Development Scheme (
LDS
) was approved by the
Government Office of the South East (GOSE) in March 2005 and
subsequent revisions to the
LDS
were approved by the Council
in July 2006 and are awaiting approval by
GOSE
. The Scheme sets
out the first round of documents which will be produced under the
new system, these are:
- Core Strategy
- Statement of Community Involvement
- Development Allocations
DPD
1.12 Havant’s
LDS
is available to view on the
Council’s
website here. An extract from the
LDS
timetable for the production
of these documents is set out in Appendix 2
Preparing the Draft Statement of Community Involvement
(SCI)
1.13 It is crucial that the SCI takes into account other
relevant documents which have been produced or adopted by the
Council.
Community Strategy – Stronger Together 2005-08
1.14 Planning Policy Statement 12: Local Development
Frameworks, states that
LDF
s should be a key component
in the delivery of the community strategy setting out its spatial
aspects where appropriate and providing a long term spatial vision.
In particular
LDD
s
should express those elements of the community strategy that relate
to the development and use of land. Havant Borough’s Community
Strategy has recently been reviewed and was published in January
2005.
1.15 The Community Strategy identifies strategic
priorities under three key themes, the economy, social inclusion
and the environment. The priorities identified in the Community
Strategy will be taken into account in developing the policies and
proposals in the
LDF
.
1.16 The review of the Community Strategy was
underpinned by a comprehensive consultation process which included
a Partnership Forum event, a Citizen’s Panel survey and
consultation with some 150 partner organisations in the wider
Havant Community Partnership (HCP). The engagement of local
communities in the work of the
HCP
is key to the effective
delivery of the Community Strategy and will be continued through
six area Community Boards. The Community Boards will each be given
the opportunity to develop action plans [
these are
different from Area Action Plans which form part of the Local
Development Framework] for their local areas, influencing the
quality of life agenda for the community they represent. The
Community Boards will have an important role to play in future
years as consultation mechanisms for both the HCP and in major
planning decisions under the
LDF
.
Consultation Strategy and Communication
Strategy
1.17 In 2003 the Council adopted a Consultation Strategy
and a Communication Strategy. These are now both due for review but
nonetheless raise important principles which need to be applied in
the Council’s approach to community involvement in the planning
process.
1.18 As a Council the aim is to communicate with the
community and stakeholders in a way which adds value to the
Council’s decisions. The Council needs to ensure a joined up
approach to consultation work and a co-ordinated approach is
required to ensure that consultees do not suffer from ‘consultation
fatigue’. As well as consultation the Council recognises that it is
important to communicate information effectively. Information
should be made available in a manner that is appropriate for the
audience and its purpose, be clearly and easily understood and be
accurate, timely and up to date.
Development Control Advice Note No.3 – Publicity for
Planning Applications
1.19 A series of development control advice notes have
been produced to help with the most common enquiries and these have
been adopted by the Council. Advice Note No. 3 explains what
publicity is given to planning applications dealt with by the
Council in accordance with the requirements of planning
legislation.
Hampshire Compact
1.20 The Council is part of a partnership made up of
voluntary groups, community groups and public bodies in Hampshire
which have set out the principles within which the voluntary and
community groups and public bodies agree to work. These are set out
in the One Compact for Hampshire. The Council is committed to these
principles.
1.21 However, this
SCI
does not comply
with the minimum written consultation timescales set out in the
Hampshire Compact. This is due to the statutory requirements set
out in the government regulations relating to the Local Development
Framework and planning application process where specific periods
of time are required for consultation periods.