Issue - meetings

Background:

This report considered the outcomes of the independent examination of the Arches (Chatham) Neighbourhood Plan. It set out the Examiner’s assessment of the submitted plan, and his recommendations, which included some modifications to the plan.

The report explained that the Arches (Chatham) Neighbourhood Area had formally been designated by the Council in August 2019 for the purposes of preparing a Neighbourhood Development Plan. The work had been led by the Arches Chatham Neighbourhood Forum, which had been set up to progress the plan.

Following iterative consultation, the Forum had submitted its draft plan to Medway Council in late 2022. The Council published the draft plan for representations at Regulation 16 in Spring 2023. The plan had then been submitted for examination in Summer 2023.

It was recommended that the Cabinet accept the Examiner’s recommendations and approve sending the plan to referendum.

Reasons:

To enable timely decision making in the Neighbourhood Plan process.