Agenda item

In accordance with Chichester District Council’s scheme for public question time the Council will receive any questions which have been submitted by members of the public in writing by noon two working days before the meeting. Each questioner will be given up to three minutes to ask their question. The total time allocated for public question time is 15 minutes subject to the Chair’s discretion to extend that period.

The following questions and answers were heard at the meeting. Please note that Cllr Hamilton asked George Hibberd to reduce his introduction to his question. The full submitted question and introduction can be read in the Public Question and Answer supplement online.

Question from Tony Piedade on behalf of Kirdford Parish Council:

Members will be aware of the water neutrality issue affecting the northern sector of the Chichester district, which also covers all of Horsham district Council and most of Crawley Borough Council.  We know that Cllr Taylor has indicated the NE advice is being fully implemented by CDC.  As a small village in the affected area we have taken a keen interest in how this is being implemented but have identified several areas of concern which we have brought to the attention of Mr Frost, Director of Planning and separately to Mr Whitty, Divisional Manager, both subsequently copied to Cllr Taylor, regarding the accuracy by which several HRAs were carried out on existing planning applications or their applicability to un-started developments.   We hope you will agree that CDC should be fully committed in implementing Natural England's advice on water neutrality and that this should not be left to interpretation.

Could this council:

1.    Confirm it is aware of planning permissions having been granted despite significant errors in HRA water usage calculations and what actions are in place to correct these and prevent their repetition?

2.    Explain why planning officers are making their own judgements on whether to conduct HRAs in the Water Neutrality Zone, rather than meeting NE’s requirements to demonstrate water neutrality

3.    Reaffirm CDC is following all of Natural England's recommendations in full

4.    Update CDCs local plan policy to reflect NEs advice of 85 Litres per person per day, as a requirement for any development in the Water Neutrality zone

Answer from Cllr Taylor:

Thank you for your question. Chichester District Council is the Competent Body for assessing the impact of planning application proposals on the protected features of a habitats site.  This assessment is undertaken in light of advice provided by the Council’s own ecological experts, and that of Natural England, with which CDC officers have a close working relationship.  The outcome of any appropriate assessment undertaken by the Council is the subject of a consultation with Natural England, which has the opportunity to comment on the assessment of impact and mitigation proposals.  However, in undertaking such assessments, the Council has regard first to the standing advice issues by Natural England, in the form of its Position Statement and FAQs. 

The (HRA) appropriate assessment process is only required where there is the potential for an adverse impact on a designated site through a development proposal, in this case where there is likely to be a material further water demand that could lead to the need for an increase level of abstraction from a natural watercourse that affects the Arun Valley designated Special Protection Area, Special Area of Conservation and Ramsar sites.  Therefore the process requires those planning applications that would not lead to a material impact (before mitigation) on the protected sites to be ‘screened out’. This is in accordance with advice from Natural England.

Although the process of appropriate assessment on this issue has been refined as the matter of water neutrality emerged as an issue in the application determination process, and officers have been provided with further training on the matter, the Council is not aware of any planning permission issued erroneously as a result of miscalculation in the appropriate assessment process.

The issue of reducing water consumption of new development will be an important consideration in the Council’s Local Plan Review process.  Any new policy on this issue will be formulated and consulted upon, in due course.  This, however, does not override the immediate requirement that any current planning application is water neutral before permission can be issued.

Question from Mr George Hibberd:

It is clear that understanding of the purpose, mechanics, organisation and principles of CAs, despite our multiple appearances in these meetings and continued dialogue with councillors, is still very misunderstood. It is also frustrating that we have been denied the option of follow up questions at previous meetings to address misunderstanding and falsehoods, and have to wait until the next full council to address these face to face. It should be your responsibility to try to communicate with us, rather than the other way around - you are our elected representatives.

As such, will you commit to a face-to-face meeting to iron out these misunderstandings and start a dialogue with the organisations that run CAs? I truly believe that with full understanding, you will fully support a CA to address the climate crisis and see their potential to address the many other issues of our time.

Answer from Cllr Plant:

Thank you for your question. As you are aware, the Council has previously made a decision not to hold a Citizens’ Assembly but to use other existing council communications channels to engage with the public on climate change. The reasons for this were outlined in my response to your question to the November meeting of Council. Whilst I can make no commitment to meeting your broader request that the Council should hold a citizen’s assembly, I am nevertheless open to having a face to face discussion with you about this to enable a shared understanding of our respective concerns and points of view.

No supplementary questions were heard.