Issue - meetings

Background:

This report provided details of the updated version of the Medway Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), following consultation.

The purpose of the SCI was to explain how the Council would involve the community in the preparation of local planning policy documents and how it would consult on planning applications, including the standards expected from developers with major proposals.

It was noted that the Council had consulted on a revised draft SCI during summer 2014 and sought the views of a wide range of stakeholders. Officers had considered the comments raised during the consultation process and had prepared an updated version of the SCI accordingly. The comments received during the consultation process, together with the Council’s proposed response to the comments, were set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

The Regeneration, Community and Culture Overview and Scrutiny Committee considered the consultation draft SCI and feedback on the comments received during the consultation process at its meeting on 21 August 2014 and its comments were set out in full in Appendix 4 to the report.

A Diversity Impact Assessment screening had been completed for the revised SCI and was attached at Appendix 3 to the report. This assessment concluded that there were no disproportionate impacts on particular sectors of the community.

Reasons:

This is to provide the Council with an appropriate updated SCI in line with legislative requirements that can be used to inform the process for the preparation of a new Local Plan.