Council Local Plan set to provide sustainable growth in the District
A Government planning Inspector has given broad support to Winchester City Council’s latest blueprint for the area, the Local Plan Part 2. Following the Examination of the Local Plan Part 2 in July and publication of the ‘Note of Initial Findings’ by the Inspector Nigel Payne on 28 July, the Council has published a number of modifications for a consultation period of 6 weeks.
The Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Built Environment Vicki Weston welcomed Mr Payne’s Initial Findings:
I am really pleased that the Inspector agrees that the Council is making sufficient provision for housing and that the additional housing sites promoted by some developers are not needed. We have worked closely with local communities in developing the Plan’s site allocations and I am pleased these have been supported.
The Inspector wants various modifications to be made before he can conclude that the current Local Plan is ‘sound’. The modifications generally make detailed changes to the Plan’s policies, but a new policy is proposed to set targets for gypsy and traveller site provision.
The Modifications, a tracked change version of the Local Plan showing all Modifications and proposed edits, together with the Sustainability Appraisal / Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/SEA) and updated evidence, can be viewed on the City Council’s website http://www.winchester.gov.uk/planning-policy/local-plan-part-2/lpp2-examination/.
At this stage the Council is only inviting comments on the proposed modifications, which should be submitted either on-line, by email or in writing no later than noon on 12 December 2016. Following this it is anticipated that the Council will be able to adopt the Plan in early 2017.