Consultation to open on whether draft Local Plan conforms to national planning policies
A technical consultation is to be held on whether a draft Local Plan for St Albans District has met all the necessary legal requirements.
The Local Plan (LP) is a blueprint for future growth and identifies land for infrastructure, employment and housing developments in the years to 2041.
It has been produced by St Albans City and District Council and has taken more than three years’ work to reach this stage.
Residents, community groups, businesses, neighbouring local authorities and other organisations have helped shape the document by contributing to previous consultations.
Numerous studies have also been undertaken to assess the impact of the proposals on the environment, transport, heritage, the Green Belt and social issues such as education and leisure.
External planning and legal experts have also helped the Council’s spatial planning team to carry out some of the detailed work and provide a detached perspective.
Councillors on the Planning Policy and Climate Committee gave approval for the next statutory procedure at its meeting on Monday 23 September.
They agreed to start what is known as the Regulation 19 Consultation to allow for public comment on the draft LP’s compliance and 'soundness' with national planning policies.
Chris Traill, the Council’s Strategic Director for Community and Place Delivery, said after the meeting:
This has been described as something of a technical consultation.
We are not asking people for feedback on their general views on the draft LP, but are asking whether it is in line with planning law and national planning policy.
Neighbouring councils, for instance, need to consider if we have met our duty to cooperate with them while producing the draft LP.
We have a responsibility as a Council to deliver an LP that conforms with planning law and national policies and we are confident that we have done so. This consultation, though, will put that to the test, allowing for any concerns to be raised.
The consultation will start on Thursday 26 September and continue for six weeks to Friday 8 November.
In the meantime, Full Council will decide whether to approve the draft LP at its meeting on Wednesday 16 October.
Following this, the Planning Policy and Climate Committee on Thursday 28 November will consider a report on the Regulation 19 consultation feedback.
Provided the draft LP was approved by Full Council and it is considered to be in accordance with national policy, it will then be submitted to the Government for examination by an independent planning inspector.
Previously, it was intended to submit a draft LP in March next year. The timetable was brought forward to avoid potential changes to national planning policy that could have meant starting the whole LP process again from scratch.
Ms Traill added:
We feel it is very much in the interests of our residents to submit a Local Plan as soon as we can. We will be able to update it when required to.
A delay of two or three years could leave us more open to speculative planning applications for all sorts of developments. It is these piecemeal, opportunistic developments rather than ones which form part of an overarching Local Plan that can cause major problems. They often don't take sufficiently into account the impact on infrastructure, demand for school places and other issues.
The draft LP proposes nine new primary schools, four new secondary schools, sites for 15,000 new homes, including social housing, locations for 15,000 jobs, and new parks and health facilities.
Residents and other stakeholders gave their general views about the draft LP at an earlier Regulation 18 consultation, helping to shape the proposals.
You can take part in the Regulation 19 consultation and view the draft LP along with other documents at https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/new-local-plan.
Media contact: John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer: 01727 819533, john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk.