Rochdale Township Committee

At a meeting on the 23rd January 2019 the Township Committee approved the neighbourhood plan to go to public consultation. The following is taken from the meeting minutes:

ROOLEY MOOR NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN – SUBMISSION

39 The Director of Economy advised the Township Committee that the Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Plan had been submitted to the Council by the relevant qualifying body, Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Forum. The Local Planning Authority is therefore required, by The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012, to make a decision as to whether the submitted documents complied with the relevant statutory requirements under regulation 15.

The submitted documents had been assessed against the relevant statutory requirements, which derive from the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, and the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012. This assessment had concluded that the Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Plan should proceed to being formally published by the Council and to being submitted for examination under Regulations 16 and 17 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012.

Alternatives considered:
A Neighbourhood Plan was optional and would be produced by the local community, therefore, the issues for communities to consider related to the time and resource needed to develop a Neighbourhood Development Plan as opposed to seeking an alternative policy tool.

Resolved:
1. The process for assessing the submitted draft Neighbourhood Plan and for making a decision regarding meeting the relevant statutory requirements under regulation 15 (Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012), be noted.
2. The Township Committee agrees that, the submitted Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Plan, can proceed to formal publication and that it be submitted for examination, including the making of arrangements for the holding of an examination by an appointed examiner, under Regulations 16 and 17 of the Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012.

Reasons for the decision:
The Director of Economy advised that Regulations 5 to 20 of The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012 set out the requirements for preparing a Neighbourhood Plan. The requirement for the Local Planning Authority to make a decision at this stage was whether the Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Plan met the various relevant statutory requirements, as contained in Regulation 15 of The Neighbourhood Planning (General) Regulations 2012. Following which Regulation 16 required that consultation be undertaken prior to carrying out an examination into the Rooley Moor Neighbourhood Plan.
Eligible for Call-in: Yes.