The petition was signed by 3,906 people opposed to the council Core Strategy proposals for Key Housing sites and the areas of search for Waste Management sites and to the area of search for a Gypsy/Travellers sites being concentrated on the A19 corridor, all of which will have a detrimental effect on the environment and infrastructure in Shiremoor, Northumberland Park, Holyfields, West Allotment, Holystone, Palmersville, Forest Gate, Hadrian Park, Battle Hill, Hadrian Lodge and the Station Road area of Wallsend.
The Elected Mayor of North Tyneside, Linda Arkley and senior council officials were "not available" to receive the petition, despite attempts by the Holystone Action Group Press Liaison officer to arrange an official hand-over.
According to the council constitution, which they are required to follow by law, the petition should be debated by the full council. However, the powers that be have refused to follow the constitution claiming the petition is a "Planning Matter", however, the constitution only allows it to exclude petitions relating to "Planning Applications". Clearly, "Planning Application" and "Planning Matter" are two quite different things.
In a nutshell, the law requires North Tyneside Council to have a petition scheme, the law also allows the council to exclude "Planning Matters" from its petition scheme (if it wants). When North Tyneside Council approved its petiton scheme they did NOT exclude petitions relating to planning matters. The law requires them to follow THEIR petition scheme, they can't change their scheme on a whim - it must go before the council.
Despite Conflicting Reports, it is not clear if any recent government proposals will have any impact on the core strategy, or even pass through Parliament in time for the final draft Core Strategy which the North Tyneside Mayor Linda Arkley said will go to the Full Council in January 2011 (3 to 4 months).
The Core Strategy is an important document and will be used to determine all future Planning decisions. North Tyneside council say it is vital that residents had their say early when the planning documents was being produced and not to leave it to later when formal planning applications are made.
To show the importance of objecting at this early stage, and of getting the proposals changed, your
attention drawn to a recent UK Government Document which states that:
"...whilst you can have your say on individual planning applications as they arise, it is important to remember that these will be determined on the basis of the statutory planning documents in the Local Development Framework [including the Core Strategy]. That is why it is vital that you have your say early in the planning process - i.e. when the planning documents
are being produced." "Officers will consider all the information...but the policy documents that make up the
Statutory Development Plan [including the core strategy] are usually the main basis for the
determination of applications. This is why it is important to get involved at this stage
in the planning process so that the content of these documents accurately reflect and take
into account the views of your community." The next stage is for the council to formulate the "preferred options" into the specific policies which will make up the draft core strategy. Unless the council changes its mind on the options they have already made the decision to reject and prefer, the preferred options will become proposed policy in the draft of the core strategy. This will then be put out to "public consultation" (six weeks) before being formally adopted by the council.
Finally the core strategy will be subject to an examination in public, however, this is simply an examination that the core strategy meets the Nine tests of soundness, which are divided into 3 areas: a) that procedures have been followed, b) It's in line regional/central plans, and c) It's in line with other local documents. This examination is in public so residents can comment on any of the "nine tests of soundness". It is unlikely, residents will be able to successfully challenge the key housing sites or search areas at this stage, unless it can be shown to the inspector that the draft proposal is unsound.
Note: Petition signatories count is based on 3,500 verified North Tyneside residential addresses, the remainder being signatories whose addresses were either unclear or believed to be working within North Tyneside]
