Agenda item

This report is due to be pre-scrutinised at a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee scheduled to take place on 12^th May 2025.  Any recommendations arising from that meeting will be published in a supplementary pack for the consideration of the Executive Committee.

The Assistant Director Planning, Leisure & Cultural Services presented the Redditch Local Plan report for Members’ consideration.

In doing so, the Committee were informed that this report had been considered extensively by Members at Planning Advisory Panel (PAP) meetings. In addition to this, it had also been considered at a recent Portfolio Holder Briefing meeting and as highlighted earlier at this meeting, had been pre-scrutinised by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at the meeting held on 12^th May 2025.

Members were informed that Executive Committee were asked to recommend formally to Council that the Redditch Local Plan Issues and Options Consultation document be endorsed in order for it to put out for consultation throughout the Borough for a six-week period.

It was also recommended that delegated authority be granted to the Assistant Director Planning & Leisure Services, following consultation with the Portfolio Holder, to allow any necessary minor technical corrections and editorial changes deemed necessary to aid the understanding of document prior to the final publishing. It was noted that the consultation period would commence on 22^nd May 2025 and run for a six-week period until 3^rd July 2025.

Following presentation of the report the Chair reiterated that this report had been considered in detail by Members across several meetings in recent months. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee were thanked once again for pre-scrutinising the report at the Committee meeting held on the previous evening.

It was noted by Members that, although the Redditch Local Plan Issues and Options Consultation document would be subject to consultation, the Council was not bound to the outcomes of the consultation. This was more of an opportunity to gather a wide range of views across Redditch which could potentially inform the Plan going forward.

The software package, Commonplace, had been procured in order to collect the data effectively and provided greater flexibility for residents to access the consultation on their smartphones, including interactive mapping tools. It was hoped that this would increase engagement with younger residents within the Borough, who were historically ‘harder to reach’ in these types of consultations. It was confirmed that there would also be non-digital consultation methods available for residents who did not use this technology. These included face to face stakeholder meetings with Planning Officers at local village halls and in the market area in the Town Centre. 

Members queried the timeline for the consultation plan. Officers undertook to provide this information Members following the meeting.

Consideration was given to what the design code included in the Local Plan was likely to be. It was clarified that design code was not strictly part of the Local Plan. However, through stakeholder consultation there would be the opportunity to shape and influence some design characteristics and for Officers to present ideas on what good design looked like. The Assistant Director Planning & Leisure Services stated that there would be a ‘daughter document’ produced in the future that would invite people to comment on any potential design code.

Members queried whether the current ‘Vision’ statement included in the Redditch Issues and Options Consultation document was flexible. Officers informed the Committee that this would and should change as the consultation process progressed and developed. Some Members suggested that Destination Redditch be included within any future iterations of the Vision statement. It was clarified that there would be the opportunity for areas such as an aspiration for tourism to be included in the final document. However, consultation on such matters was important as some residents might have differing options on an increase in people travelling to Redditch for tourism purposes. For example some residents might be in favour of greater use of the Borough’s open spaces by those who did not live in Redditch to increase economic development, however some may feel it was detrimental to the area as it might increase traffic. Therefore, the consultation would provide greater clarity in the aspirations and needs of the local residents.

RECOMMENDED that

1)    The Council endorse Redditch Local Plan Issues and Options consultation document (Appendix A) for a six-week public consultation period.

2)    That delegated authority be given to the Assistant Director for Planning, Leisure and Culture Services following consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning, Regeneration and Governance to make any minor technical corrections and editorial changes deemed necessary to aid the understanding of the documentation prior to final publishing.