Local Plan

[Mal]

We had another all member briefing yesterday about the production of a new Local Plan.  This time about a third of the members turned up. 

This Plan is important because it will shape our villages, towns and even the whole county over the next few years.    

What makes this really urgent is the Governments proposed changes to our planning system as they chase their 1.5 million new homes promise.  Northumberland has been ‘given’ our own quota in relation to that target and it’s huge! 

I’ve talked about this before and how important it will be to take part in the public consultations which will be coming out soon.   

Do we want to see new Towns created, existing settlements expanded, new industrial sites, new commercial spaces, all questions which people can have their say in answering.

The most important aspect is that we need to engage to have at least some say in what happens otherwise the Government will just impose!    

That is something I spoke about at the last Town Council meeting when I suggested they might want to re-examine the neighbourhood plan they have almost finished.  Because of the changes which could well come in, not havening local planning committees, presumption in favour of house building etc. the importance of neighbourhood plans is that at least local people have their say and it could well be the only time we do within a planning application.  So deciding where we might want to see new housing, shops and offices, industrial estates etc. 

It might not have the absolute power to stop an application but at least we will register a public opinion because neighbourhood plans have to go to local referendums before they are ‘made’, in other words adopted as part of the planning criteria. 

Yesterday I spoke about rewriting settlement boundaries and how we have seen that happen in Bedlington about 5 years ago to meet the last housing figures we were delegated to achieve.  This time it won’t be a blip on the side of the settlement boundary it will be a huge inflation right around because of the sheer numbers we have been told to achieve. 

We might even see new Towns created although I remember the last time that was a proposal in the county! 

Whatever happens having to find the sites for 34,500 new homes here, and that’s not including industrial, commercial and social infrastructure fill, will be challenging and quite obviously change the topography of our county forever. 

 

 

 

 

 

For more info here is the latest version……….

https://www.northumberland.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-policy/northumberland-local-plan-2016-2036