Agenda item

To consider a report of the Head of Planning, Regeneration and Economy requesting approval of the draft Design of Shopfronts and Associated Advertisements Supplementary Planning Document to be published for public consultation.

The Cabinet had before it a *report of the Head of Planning, Regeneration and Economy requesting approval of the draft Design of Shopfronts and Associated Advertisements Supplementary Planning Document to be published for public consultation.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Regeneration outlined the contents of the report stating that the Shopfronts and Associated Advertisements design guide was proposed to supplement the National Design Guide, the Mid Devon Design Guide, and the relevant policies of the adopted Mid Devon Local Plan.

The design guide was intended to raise standards in development affecting shop fronts in Mid Devon. The design guide would be a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). It would not be part of the development plan and would not introduce new planning polices, but once adopted it would be capable of being a material consideration in the determination of relevant planning applications.

The design guide had two parts: Part 1 was an illustrated guide to the successful refurbishment or alteration to an existing shopfront, or complete replacement shopfront, and Part 2 set out the permission/consents that may be required and the policy context in which those planning decisions would be made.

The principles set out in the design guide were not intended to be treated as blueprints, but they offered advice to help guide development proposals towards achieving the successful design of shop fronts and associated advertisements.

The design guide had been subject to a Habitats Regulation Assessment Screening and Strategic Environmental Assessment screening and both had identified that the design guide was unlikely to have significant effects on the environment.

The design guide, the Habitats Regulation Assessment and the Strategic Environmental Assessment screening reports would be published for public consultation for a statutory minimum period of 6 weeks, as soon as reasonably practicable, in accordance with the Council’s adopted Statement of Community Involvement.

Once the consultation had ended and officers had considered the responses, the final version of the Shopfronts and Associated Advertisements design guide SPD, including any amendments necessary, would be reported back to the Cabinet for formal adoption, together with a statement of public participation.

Consideration was given to:

·         How the number of people involved with the consultation would be reported, rather than just the number who made representation

·         The fact that the SPD  was district wide although had been initiated from Cullompton in line with the bid  for the High Street Heritage Action Zone and whether any other towns in the district could make use of any further grant funded schemes

RESOLVED that:

1.    The draft Design of Shopfronts and Associated Advertisements Supplementary Planning Document (Appendix 1), the Strategic Environmental Assessment Screening Report (Appendix 2) and the Habitat Regulations Assessment Screening Report (Appendix 3) be approved for public consultation.

2.    That delegated authority be given to the Head of Planning, Economy and Regeneration in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Regeneration to finalise the material and arrangements for consultation.

(Proposed by Cllr R J Chesterton and seconded by Cllr D J Knowles)

Reason for the decision: The Draft Design of Shopfronts and Associated Advertisements Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) is a District wide document, but the commitment to produce this guidance has been agreed as part of the part of the in kind match funding by Mid Devon District Council towards the Cullompton High Street HAZ agreement with Historic England.

Note: *Report previously circulated and attached to the minutes