Issue - meetings

Recommendation:

The Executive are asked to recommend to Full Council that work on the Ryedale Local Plan review be halted and that work undertaken to date be considered, as appropriate, in the preparation of the new Local Plan for North Yorkshire.

Considered – A report of the Corporate Director Community Development proposing a change to the resolution of the Council to continue with preparations in respect of the Ryedale Local Plan Review.

Councillor Derek Bastiman introduced the report and drew attention to the host of different district and Borough Council Plans all at different stages, inherited by the new Unitary Authority.  He noted the new North Yorkshire Plan would cover the whole of the area currently covered by those existing Plans and provide a holistic development strategy and consistent policy framework across the county.  He also stated the Council’s commitment to having the new Plan adopted by 2028.

Specifically in regard to the Ryedale Plan, he drew attention to the legal advice sought by Ryedale District Council which advised the review of their Plan would take longer than anticipated, and that further work would need to be undertaken in terms of the scope of that review.  The review of that Plan would therefore not be completed within a significantly shorter period than the time taken to produce the new North Yorkshire Plan, and it would have a limited shelf life given it would soon be replaced by the new North Yorkshire Plan.

He also suggested it would be difficult to justify the production of two Plans at the same time as it would be confusing for the local communities, businesses and other stakeholders, and would consume significant resources. Finally, he offered to visit Malton Town Council with senior officers to discuss their concerns and to help ensure they were picked up early in the Plan making process.

It was noted that two public submissions had been received, as follows:

1. Mr Ian Conlan, Mayor of Malton Town Council stated:

“We have significant issues with the existing Ryedale Plan that we would like this committee to address, namely:

i.       Housing distribution. Malton is required to take too much housing. 50% of housing in Ryedale is allocated to Malton and Norton, with just 25% of the population.

ii.      Local Occupancy Condition is imposed, not in Malton, but in all non-service villages, to the extent that key community infrastructure in those villages in threatened, such as schools, with no affordable housing provision.

iii.     Village boundaries have not changed since 1995.

iv.     Transport capacity within Malton and Norton has been reached, exceeding the limit assessed in the 2010 Transport Assessment.

v.      Air quality in Malton’s designated Air Quality Management Area is already at dangerous levels for human health and risks getting worse.

All these issues are inter-related.

·           Congestion has worsened around Butcher Corner and the Level Crossing, heavy traffic has increased massively on Highfield Rd making the walk to school increasingly unsafe,

·           The haulage industry wants to remove the weight restriction at the level crossing, some ignore it and this authority is reluctant to enforce it

·           the AQMA will experience an increase in air pollution contrary to WHO recommendations. 

·           Meanwhile, numerous villages around Ryedale which have been effectively frozen in time  ...  view the full minutes text for item 271