Encouraging response to Local Plan consultation

Responses to a public consultation on the Local Plan for the St Albans District are “exceeding all expectations”.

More than 1,000 people have already given their views on future housing, business and infrastructure developments.

The first of a series of exhibitions, held across the District to explain the Plan attracted 85 people to the venue in Redbourn.

Around 60,000 leaflets promoting the consultation - which runs for another four weeks - were delivered to homes and organisations earlier this month.

Residents and people who work in the area were urged to reply to a questionnaire on the main issues dealt with by the Local Plan.

The most popular way of responding to St Albans City and District Council has been by the internet, with well over half having replied by using the Council’s website.

The Local Plan is a major document that will identify what land can be used for developments during the years 2020 to 2036. 

It will also detail the new roads, schools, green spaces and other infrastructure that will be needed to support the growing population.

Councillor Mary Maynard, Portfolio Holder for Planning, said: “I’m thrilled with the response to far. It is exceeding all expectations.

“In just two weeks we’ve had almost as many replies as we did for the entire six-week consultation we held for a previous Local Plan in 2014.

“We want to hear, though, from many more people and would ask those who have yet to reply to do so.

“It is particularly important that we hear from the under-40s as this is a group we found hard to reach during previous exercises. 

“They need to make their voice heard as the issues at stake will be important to them and affect the District in the years all the way up to 2036. It only takes a short time to consider the main Local Plan proposals and fill in the questionnaire.”

The questionnaire, the video and significant documents are available on the Council’s website: https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/planning-policy

Details about the remaining exhibitions, including venues and dates, are also available there.  Councillors and Planning Officers will be on hand at these events to answer questions and discuss the issues.

The consultation runs for six weeks from Tuesday 9 January to Wednesday 21 February.

After it is finished, all views will be taken into account while a draft of the new Local Plan is completed.

If all goes to schedule, it will be considered by Full Council in the summer, consulted on again in the autumn and submitted to the Government in March next year.

The Local Plan will have to address the Government’s proposed target of building 14,608 new homes in the District from 2020-36. That is the equivalent of 913 a year.

Around 5,000 new homes are likely to be built on land within the City and other existing settlements.

Other options include expanding existing settlements into Green Belt, building on other large sites that contribute least to Green Belt objectives or creating new Garden Villages.

Councillor contact:
Cllr Mary Maynard, Portfolio Holder for Planning and Building Control, St Albans City and District Council.
Tel: 01582 620801. Email: Cllr.M.Maynard@stalbans.gov.uk

Media contact:
John McJannet, Principal Communications Officer, St Albans City and District Council.
Tel: 01727-296130, E-mail: john.mcjannet@stalbans.gov.uk