Agenda item

The Senior Devolution Lead for Planning Policy, Strategic Growth and Housing presented the report to the Committee.

Work had commenced on the Creswell Growth Plan in April 2022, in accordance with the Council’s Local Development Scheme.  It had been subject to three public consultations during its preparation.

At a meeting of the Local Plan Implementation and Advisory Group (LPIAG) on 5^th February 2025, Members had provided a steer that they recognised the need to plan for additional residential and employment growth in Creswell, but that this could not be supported until:

·       the new GP surgery had been built and opened;

·       that any additional growth met and was accompanied by the necessary increase in infrastructure capacity; and

·       deliver increased levels of affordable housing (i.e., greater than the Local Plan for Bolsover District policy requirement of 10% affordable housing provision).

Based on the latest information from Welbeck Estates about the delivery of the new GP surgery, it was understood that they had agreed to dispose of the planned GP surgery site to a specialist medical facility builder and that the Integrated Care Board would take a lease on the property.

From this point, it was understood that this legal process would be completed end of May 2025, potentially enabling a start on site the summer of 2025 and the facility being open to the public in late 2025.

While the Council awaited the delivery of the new GP surgery, should the steer provided by LPIAG be approved officers would pause work on writing up the preferred option for the final Creswell Growth Plan.

Work would continue on the assessment of the sites promoted to the Council through the Land Availability Assessment (LAA) process and the consideration of infrastructure provision will also continue.

Related to the preparation of a Growth Plan for Creswell, the Council had received a letter from the Creswell and Elmton Residents Action Group dated 10^th February 2025.  This letter was attached at Appendix 1 to the report.

The letter from the Creswell and Elmton Residents Action Group requested that the Committee consider the public consultation feedback against further growth in Creswell and take no further action on any of the potential options within the Consultation Draft Creswell Growth Plan.

The above request would provide an alternative recommendation to that from the LPIAG on the next steps for the preparation of the Creswell Growth Plan work.

If the Committee paused work on the writing of the final Creswell Growth Plan (to enable the GP surgery to be completed and opened, as the LPIAG had recommended), a future report would be provided potentially December 2025.

However, it was appropriate for Members to note the request from the Creswell and Elmton Residents Action Group to take no further action on the preparation of a Growth Plan for Creswell and decide whether they wished to follow this alternative approach.

Should this alternative decision be taken, no further work would take place on the preparation of a Growth Plan for Creswell and the Council would omit this document from its planned Local Development Scheme.

The Chair read out part of a letter written by Elmton with Creswell Parish Council’s Locum Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer, attached in the Supplementary document.  The Committee was asked to reconsider the proposed Growth Plan, and it was request that further consultation took place.

The Committee discussed the options available, with the Senior Devolution Lead for Planning Policy, Strategic Growth and Housing providing guidance.

It was noted that if the Council did not plan for growth, the UK Government could reclaim that responsibility and proceed as it thought best (with no local input accepted).

It was noted that while the Council had planned affectively, other local authorities had not and were either struggling to meet national targets or losing control of their growth plans.

It was shared that with the divergence of views at LPIAG, it proved difficult to plan for growth.  A growth plan was necessary for Creswell, but the completion of the GP Surgery was important.  A pause would affect the Local Plan, but no planned growth could result in losing control to the UK Government.

Moved by Councillor Tom Munro and seconded by Councillor Carol Wood

RESOLVED that the Planning Committee: 1) Notes the steer from the Local Plan             Implementation Advisory Group on the next steps for the preparation of the             Creswell Growth Plan as set out in the report;

2)    Notes the request from the Creswell and Elmton Residents Action Group to carry out no further action on any of the Creswell Growth Plan options as set out in Appendix 1;

3)    Notes the request from Elmton-with-Creswell Parish Council to carry out further consultation on the Creswell Growth Plan options to explore alternative strategies that align with sustainable development goals while preserving the unique historical and environmental character of Elmton-with-Creswell Parish;

4)    Approves the next steps for the preparation of the Creswell Growth Plan.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:36 hours to allow members of the public to leave the meeting and those attending for Applications to take their seats.

The meeting was reconvened at 10:42 hours.