Example District Council Reg 18 Draft Local Plan
Introduction Comment
1.1 In England, the 'plan-led' approach to the regulation of land and development places local plans at the heart of the town and country planning system. Under this system, local plans form part of the statutory 'development plan' for an area. This forms the starting point for the determination of planning applications unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
1.2 Chapter three of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out requirements for preparing a Local Plan which each local planning authority is expected to prepare, either singly, or jointly with other authorities.
1.3 The 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act places a duty on local authorities to carry out plan-making with the "objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development."
1.4 The Planning Act (2008) puts an additional obligation on plan-making authorities to ensure their development plan documents (taken as a whole) include policies that are "…designed to secure that the development and use of land in the local planning authority's area contribute to the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change."
1.5 The emerging new Local Plan will contain policies and proposed locations for sustainable growth and investment across the Example District up to 2041. It is the spatial framework that will provide certainty to both shape and guide development proposals and to appropriately inform all interested parties regarding the planning process.
1.6 The Local Plan is a statutory planning document prepared by Example District Council ('the Council'). The Local Plan, together with adopted neighbourhood plans and supplementary planning documents (SPD), will make up the "statutory development plan" for the District.
1.7 The Local Plan will establish the key principles which will guide the location, use and form of new development and alongside other Development Plan Documents; these will aid the determination of planning applications. It sets a clear framework for how future growth will be met, providing clarity for what development will and will not be accepted to ensure than an area remains sustainable.
1.8 The Local Plan will provide a strategic framework for Neighbourhood Plans, which can be developed by communities.
1.9 The Local Plan will present a vision for what the Example District will be like by the end of the plan period, and alongside are a series of objectives to explain how the Local Plan will achieve the vision.
1.10 Policies Maps accompany the Draft Local Plan. The Policies Maps depict land allocations and other land use designations. Policy references are detailed on the Policies Maps for ease of cross reference with the Local Plan.
Local Plan Preparation Comment
1.11 Local Plans must be prepared in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.
1.12 The current Local Plan was adopted in January 2020. The Council is required to undertake a review of the Local Plan focussing on the following key issues:
- Taking account of the latest National Planning Policy Framework
- The assessment of housing needs and future requirement for employment land; and
- Further assessment of the needs of the Gypsy & Traveller Community, including travelling showpeople, and the need to allocate land to meet identified needs.
1.13 The preparation of the Local Plan review commenced in April 2020. The Council held a Regulation 18 Issues and Options consultation which sought the views of the public and stakeholders on the scope of the Local Plan. The comments received through the consultation have been used to help shape the emerging new Local Plan. The Council has also commissioned a number of evidence based studies, including housing and employment need, which will inform the Plan.
1.14 This stage of the process is a second Regulation 18 consultation which seeks to consult the public and stakeholders on:
- the district's development need;
- which policies the Council intends to amend;
- sites received through the Call for Site exercise which was launched in 2020;
- proposed new policies; and
- the Sustainability Appraisal and Habitat Regulations Assessment;
1.15 The next step will be Regulation 19 pre-submission whereby further views will be sought on proposed policies and allocations.
Call for Sites Comment
1.16 The Council launched a Call for Sites which ran from October 2020 – September 2022 seeking land within the district to be considered for allocation for a range uses including housing, Gypsy & Traveller sites, and employment.
1.17 The sites received through the Call for Sites are included as an annex to the Sustainability Appraisal. The sites have been assessed against a number of environmental constraints but no conclusions as to the suitability of the sites for allocation have been made. The proposed methodology for selecting sites for allocation has been published alongside the Local Plan for consultation. Preferred site allocations, other than the allocations the Council is proposing to carry forward from the adopted Local Plan, will be identified at the next stage of plan preparation which is scheduled for winter 2023.
1.18 Due to a limited response to the Call for Sites with regard to Gypsy & Traveller sites, the Council is launching a Call for Gypsy & Traveller Sites alongside the Draft Local Plan consultation which will be targeted at our Gypsy & Traveller community, and landowners.
Sustainability Appraisal Comment
1.19 Section 19 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires a local planning authority to carry out an appraisal of the sustainability of the proposals in each of its development plan documents. A report of the findings of the appraisal must also be prepared. Incorporating requirements of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004, the Sustainability Appraisal (SA) ensures that potential environmental effects are given full consideration alongside social and economic issues.
1.20 A Sustainability Appraisal has been prepared and will be published alongside the Draft Local Plan. The SA considers Local Plan policy and potential development sites but does not conclude the suitability of sites for allocation.
Habitat Regulations Assessment Comment
1.21 Under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended) Councils must demonstrate through a Habitat Regulations Assessment that its Local Plan proposals will not have a significant adverse effect on sites designated under the European Directive (92/43/EEC The Habitats Directive) for their wildlife importance. These sites are known as 'Natura 2000' sites and include Special Areas of Conservation (SAC); Special Protection Areas (SPA); and Ramsar Sites (wetland sites).
1.22 A Habitat Regulations Assessment has been prepared and will be published alongside the Draft Local Plan. The HRA considers Local Plan policy and potential development sites but does not conclude the suitability of sites for allocation.
List of Policies & Proposed Update Comment
1.23 In late 2020 the Council published the Issues & Options consultation which gave an indication of which policies would be retained and if necessary updated. Views were also sought on any additional policies which would be required to ensure that the Local Plan is robust and in accordance with national policy.
