Agenda item

Report attached.

Members considered a report ofCouncillor Munsif Dad BEM JP, Leader of the Council, seeking approval to submit the Local Plan to the Secretary of State for examination.

Councillor Dad provided a summary of the main points within the report.

Local authorities had a statutory responsibility to identify their strategic priorities and had policies to address these in their development plan documents.  The development plan for an area was made up of the combination of strategic policies (that addressed the priorities for the area) and non-strategic policies that dealt with more detailed matters.

The development plan was at the heart of the planning system, with a requirement set in law that planning applications should be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicated otherwise.  Plans should set out a vision and a framework for the future development of the area and address needs and opportunities in relation to housing, the economy, community facilities and infrastructure, as well as conserving and enhancing the natural and historic environment.

The Hyndburn Local Plan 2040

The new Local Plan (Strategic Policies and Site Allocations) would set out the strategic vision, objectives and spatial strategy for the Borough, including strategic planning policies that would guide future development.  It established policies and guidance to ensure local development was built in accordance with the principles set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).  Covering the period 2021-40, the Local Plan set out the main areas for growth by identifying site allocations to meet development requirements of 194 dwellings per year (3,686 in total) and 70 hectares of employment land.  These figures were considered to be suitably ambitious, yet realistic insofar that they reflected actual delivery that had taken place in the Borough in recent years. 

Once adopted, the new Plan would replace the saved elements of the 1996 Local Plan, and the 2012 Core Strategy.  The two key documents representing the full development plan for Hyndburn would then become the new Local Plan (the subject of this report), together with the existing Development Management DPD 2018, which contained local (non-strategic) policies.  The Accrington Area Action Plan would also remain in force as part of the development plan for Hyndburn.

The emerging Local Plan had already been through 3 rounds of consultation at Regulation 18 stage, and 2 rounds of consultation at Regulation 19 stage.  The Regulation 19 consultation stage preceded the submission of the Local Plan (and all associated evidence base and other supporting material) to the Secretary of State.  Following submission, an Inspector from the Planning Inspectorate would be appointed to take the plan forward to Examination and subsequent adoption.  The version of the Local Plan consulted on at Regulation 19 stage was intended to represent the settled view of the Council on what the adopted Plan should contain and that the authority believed to be sound and ready for ‘Examination’.  It was also known as the “Pre-submission” or “Publication” Plan. 

Table illustrating key stages of Local Plan preparation.

Responses to the Regulation 19 consultation

During the first Regulation 19 (Reg19(1)) consultation, representations had been received from 133 separate respondents and 65 separate respondents had commented during the Reg19(2) consultation - 22 of whom had also commented at Reg19(1) stage.  Across the two consultations, a greater number of respondents had been members of the public (around 72%) rather than organisations. 

The general issues which had received the most comments had included the Huncoat Garden Village policy, the Spatial Development Strategy (which set out the amount and distribution of proposed growth), climate change and housing provision.  The specific sites which had received the most comments were the Whitebirk employment sites; sites at Huncoat; land off Cut Lane, Rishton; employment land south of Altham; and Ringstonhalgh Farm, Clayton-le-Moors. 

A summary of all the comments, along with a brief indicative Council response, would be set out in a Consultation Statement which was being prepared for the Examination.  This would be sent to the Planning Inspectorate upon submission, along with copies of all the original representations.

The report included further detailed information about changes to national policy and the plan-making system.  The Government had published its revised National Planning Policy Framework on 12^th December 2024 (Dec 2024 Framework).  For the purposes of preparing Local Plans, the policies of the Dec 2024 Framework would come into force on 12^th March 2025.  In Hyndburn, the effect of the Dec 2024 Framework was to give the Council two options:

A.      Submit the Local Plan on or before 12^th March 2025 to allow the Local Plan to be examined under the provisions of 2023 NPPF [the previous version of the framework] and the housing numbers proposed in the plan (194 dwelling per annum), as set out in paragraphs 234(b) and 235 of the Dec 2024 Framework.  This would also require the Council to begin work on a new plan immediately following adoption of the current draft Local Plan in order to address the shortfall in housing need as set out in paragraph 236 of the Dec 2024 Framework.

OR

B..     If the Council was not able to submit the Local Plan on or before 12^th March 2025, then it would be necessary to start work on the preparation of a new Local Plan in which it would be necessary to meet the new mandatory housing figure of 304  dwellings per annum.  This represented a significant increase on the proposed Local Plan requirement of 194 dwellings per annum.

The adoption of Option A was strongly recommended.

Further information was provided in the report around the detailed requirements for submission of the Local Plan.

Next Steps

At this stage, it was not possible to accurately estimate how long the adoption of the Plan would take to complete, particularly if further evidence gathering or consultation was required to take place as part of the Examination process.  Once the dates could be confirmed, a revised timetable would be published in the Local Development Scheme on the Council’s website.

There was no prescribed timescale for implementing a Local Plan from the start of the process (Regulation 18) through to adoption (Regulation 26).  However, the previous and new Government had made it clear through various announcements that it wished to see Local Plans progressed as fast as possible.  It must be borne in mind, however, that timescales were heavily influenced by the resources available (including at the Planning Inspectorate), the complexity of the topics raised within the Plan, and the number of objections received.

Councillors Khan, Clegg and Paul Cox spoke in favour of the Local Plan.  Councillor Parkins placed on record his concerns about the Huncoat Garden Village proposals, but supported the Local Plan overall.

Resolved                                 (1)   That Council approve the submission of the Local Plan.

(2)   That the Local Plan is submitted to the Secretary of State when the outstanding work needed for submission is complete.