URL: https://democratic.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=3838

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: Yes

Is Callable In?: Yes

Purpose: To gain approval for a 4 week public consultation

Content: RESOLVED that:   i.       the content of the Draft Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area Supplementary Planning Document (SPA SPD) (Appendix 1) is approved.   ii.     the public consultation on the Draft SPA SPD (Appendix 1) is agreed beginning on Wednesday 15th January 2025 and ending on Wednesday 12th February 2025 as set out in Section 8 of this report and Appendix 2   iii.    authority be delegated to the Executive Director: Place in consultation with the Executive Member for Planning, Transport and Countryside to agree any necessary minor amendments to the Draft SPA SPD prior to public consultation.   1.     Since the council adopted its first SPA strategy in 2007 it has been revised periodically in 2012 and in 2018. The current SPA SPD (2018) is increasingly in need of updating. A revised SPA SPD would assist with the implementation of current planning policies and provide prospective applicants with a clearer understanding of the Council’s requirements for the necessary mitigation on the impact of development on the SPA.   2.     A statutory stage in the production of an SPD is public consultation on a draft document. Therefore, an effective consultation on the SPA SPD will ensure it can be adopted and become a material consideration in determining relevant planning applications. Not updating the SPA SPD will result in the continued use of increasingly outdated guidance which will risk its effectiveness over the long term. Production of the SPD will assist potential developers by providing clarity on the Council’s expectations on how policies should be applied. In providing clarity, the Council is less likely to be put into an appeal position with a need to defend policies on these matters (reducing the financial and time burden on Council resources). None

Date of Decision: December 10, 2024