Local Plan round-up – December 2016

Waverley, Surrey

The Waverley Draft Local Plan was approved by full council at the end of November and is now being submitted for inspection. In the meantime, the Farnham Neighbourhood Plan went to a hearing, before the independent examiner, Mr Derek Stebbing, at the end of November. A decision on whether the plan can proceed to a referendum is expected in the new year.

Last week, an application to build 1,800 new homes at Dunsfold Aerodrome was approved by Waverley Council. This site has been included within the emerging local plan for 2,400 homes although there have always been questions over the deliverability of the site due to its location and lack of existing infrastructure. Guildford MP, Anne Milton, said the plans would be called in by the Secretary of State if it is approved by Waverley Borough Council. We will wait and see.

St. Albans, Hertfordshire

Following the Inspector’s letter saying that he does not feel St. Albans has fulfilled its duty to cooperate, the council’s plan process has been thrown into doubt. What the council will do may well be announced at the next Planning Policy meeting, due on January 5 – it is likely the council will withdraw the plan.

Central Bedfordshire

The draft local plan was due to be discussed this month, but will now come before the Executive Committee meeting on January 10. It will be published the week before, at the end of December/early January, depending upon when the council’s officers are working.

Uttlesford, Essex

The draft local plan was due to be discussed by the Planning Policy Working Group in November. Its forward plan was amended and it is now expected to come before the Group at the next meeting, on January 10. As this new meeting is not in the council calendar, it would suggest that perhaps it is special for the purposes of the local plan, although we will need to wait until the agenda is published at the end of December/early January, again depending upon when the council’s officers are working.

Harlow, Essex

The draft local plan was due to be published in December, but has now been delayed until February, at the earliest. The Conservative opposition has been pushing the Labour administration to follow neighbouring Epping Forest Council’s example and repeat the Regulation 18 consultation. It argues that the previous consultation (in 2014) was poorly promoted, prompting only 126 responses, and the Plan has changed entirely since that time, requiring additional engagement and consultation. The Labour Group remain adamant it will move to a Regulation 19 pre-submission consultation otherwise the plan will be delayed and, the fear is, the process may be taken over by Essex County Council.

Chilterns/South Buckinghamshire

These two districts have joined to produce a joint local plan and have just finished consulting on the green belt release strategy in their draft joint local plan. It proposes removing 15 sites from the green belt, totalling more than 400 hectares of land, to provide for around 6,000 homes.

The consultation resulted in an objection from Buckinghamshire County Council. The sites it has objected to would include “potentially over 2,800 houses”, according to Aylesbury Vale District Council, which is concerned it would have to meet the shortfall.

Decorum, Hertfordshire

The Inspector requested a series of changes to the Site Allocations document before it can be adopted. The council is currently consulting on these changes (due to conclude in February 2017). In the meantime, also as a requirement of the Inspector, the council is due to start an early review of the core strategy next year.

Epping Forest, Essex

The repeated Regulation 18 consultation was concluded on December 12 and the results will be reported in the new year, with a Regulation 19 consultation expected in the early summer and a submission to the Inspectorate by the end of 2017.

Basildon, Essex

The council has just completed consultation on a series of alternative sites, which will feed into the Draft Local Plan. The Regulation 19 consultation is expected to take place in Q1 2017, with submission to the Inspector later in 2017.

Rochford, Essex

The timetable for preparing the new Local Plan – the Local Development Scheme – was updated and agreed by Full Council in October. It is anticipated that the Issues and Options Document will be published in spring 2017, once all the necessary evidence work has been completed. This will be a fairly ‘light touch’ document setting out a range of issues identified and potential options to address these.

Thurrock, Essex

Thurrock Council is awaiting the announcement from the Government on the route of the Lower Thames Crossing Link Road. All the options will have significant impact on local planning and the council is unable to proceed in any meaningful way until the announcement is made. Currently, stage two of the issues and options is scheduled for the spring of 2017.

East Hertfordshire

The pre-submission (Regulation 19) consultation concluded on December 15. The responses will be assessed and expects the local plan to be submitted for inspection in March next year.