Issue - meetings
Preparation of a New 'Local Plan' for Lancaster District
Meeting: 03/07/2012 - Cabinet (Item 20)
(Cabinet Member with special Responsibility Councillor Hanson)
Report of the Head of Regeneration and Planning
Additional documents:
- 19 06 12 DM document with cover, item 20
PDF 1 MB
- 19 06 12 Land Allocations with cover, item 20
PDF 1 MB
- MAAP Advanced First Draft Plan June 2012, item 20
PDF 2 MB
- MAAP Proposals Map Advanced First Draft June 2012, item 20
PDF 1 MB
Minutes:
(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Hanson)
Cabinet received a report from the Head of Regeneration and Planning to provide members with the opportunity to review and endorse the emerging Draft Local Plan for Lancaster District; comprising the Development Management Development Plan Document (DPD), Land Allocations DPD, and, Morecambe Area Action Plan (MAAP). The report highlighted the key issues which arose from these documents, and advised on how the documents would be progressed as elements of Draft Local Plan for Lancaster District.
The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:
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Option 1: Endorse the content and the steps proposed for the continued preparation of the Draft Local Plan Documents |
Option 2: Delay the endorsement and the next steps proposed for the continued preparation of the Draft Local Plan Documents whilst awaiting the outcome of other ongoing studies and resolutions to outstanding planning issues before progressing with a local plan |
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Advantages |
The NPPF encourages local authorities to advance preparation of Local Plans in accordance with the principles established within the NPPF. The NPPF advises that plans may need to be revised to take into account the policies in the framework. This should be progressed as quickly as possible, either through a partial review or preparing a new Local Plan. For a period of 12 months, which commenced in March 2012 decision makers may continue to give full weight to plans adopted since 2004, there after due weight will be given to existing plans in accordance to their degree of consistency with the NPPF; thus in order to exert local influence upon planning decisions the Council is advised to make speedy progress on preparing its own Local Plan. Publishing a draft Local Plan Document will be an important step in identifying solutions to meeting the district’s development needs over the next 15 years. Publishing the detailed documents in support of the spatial principles established in the Core Strategy means that the Council will be in stronger position to influence how and where growth occurs in the district and can secure better outcomes from the implementation of development proposals. |
Delay means that more time is available to further investigate detailed solutions to issues such as traffic management before identifying sites in the plan. The ability to describe such solutions would mean that it would be easier to justify the plan’s proposals, particularly in south Lancaster, to a potentially sceptical and unsupportive local community. |
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Disadvantages |
Identifying the sites which the Council wishes to direct development to may trigger planning applications in relation to both the sites which are identified and the sites which are not identified. |
Greater delay will mean that there is a longer period when an up-to-date Local Plan is not in place, thus the Council will find it increasingly difficult to defend its planning decisions. Delay also means that the local evidence base and the large range of studies which support the current draft policies will become out ... view the full minutes text for item 20 |