Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director of Place Shaping

Members received a report of the Corporate Director of Place Shaping which set out the findings and outcome of the Harrow Core Strategy Examination in Public and informed the Committee of the recommendation to Cabinet and Full Council that the Core Strategy be adopted as part of the development plan for the Borough.

An officer outlined the main issues and Planning Inspector’s modifications following the Examination in Public hearing sessions. Officers welcomed the Inspector’s findings.

Members congratulated officers on the production of the Core Strategy. Members of the Committee made comments and asked questions as follows:

·                    In terms of whether there was an increased possibility of tall buildings in Harrow, the Divisional Director of Planning advised that at the Examination in Public, the Secretary of State had made it clear that the Council could not take the position of having no tall buildings in Harrow but had agreed that the matter was best addressed through the Area Action Plan and informed by a detailed urban design analysis and a views assessment.  The result of such work would then be reflected in the spatial vision and use policy of the Area Action Plan to control impact.

·                    A Member expressed the view that access to both Canons Park and Kenton stations required improvement.

·                    A Member questioned the down grading of affordable housing targets and how it could be ensured that affordable housing was not seen as less important.  The Divisional Director advised that the target had not been downgraded and that the Inspector had found the target to be sound and had agreed that it was sustainable to aspire to a target of 40%.  In terms of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), there would be further discussions and it was still a priority of the plan to deliver affordable options.  He added that consultants were to be commissioned to consider the viability of different levels of CIL charge and an options paper would be submitted to Members for consideration in the summer.

·                    Larger houses were required by some sections of the community.  The officer advised that the Core Strategy required a mix of housing and that priority was afforded to larger affordable housing.

·                    The stopping of Garden Land Development within the Strategy was welcomed although it was considered that this was at the expense of allowing more intensive development in certain wards which was not welcomed by residents in these wards.

·                    The facts and figures within the Strategy required context to ‘future proof’ it.  The officer advised that the timescales for production meant that the figures contained within the Strategy were the current position but that more up to date figures were captured in the monitoring report.

·                    A Member questioned the inclusion of a new polyclinic given that one of the Council’s partners had recently closed one.  The officer advised that the reference to polyclinics was not important, rather work was being undertaken with the service provider to ensure adequate primary healthcare facilities were delivered and that it was important to secure the footprint within new developments to provide for these facilities regardless of the final term to describe them.

·                    A Member questioned, in terms of new schools, the effect of an increase in class sizes to 31 or 32 pupils and was advised that officers were reliant on education colleagues for advice and that this was currently the national standard and so applicable now.

The Chair thanked officers for their attendance and responses.

RESOLVED: That

(1)               the outcome of the independent examination in public of Harrow’s Core Strategy be noted;

(2)               it be noted that the Core Strategy would be recommended to Cabinet (9 February) and Full Council (16 February) for adoption.