Decision - West Suffolk Local Plan Preferred Options consultation

Decision details

West Suffolk Local Plan Preferred Options consultation

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Decision status: Recommendations Approved

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Purpose:

As part of the West Suffolk Local Plan development process, the Cabinet will be asked to consider, and recommend to Council, approval of the draft Preferred Issues and Options document for consultation. Consultation will commence at the end of May 2022.

Decision:

Recommended to Council: (17 May 2022)

That:

 

1.       The West Suffolk Local Plan Preferred Options (Regulation 18) document, as contained in Appendix A to Report number: CAB/WS/22/019, together with supporting documents, be approved for the purposes of public consultation.

 

2.       Delegated authority be given to the Director (Planning and Growth), in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Planning to make minor non-material consequential changes to the documents, as necessary.

Reasons for the decision:

The West Suffolk Local Plan will cover the period up to 2040.  Upon adoption it will set out the Council’s policies to address housing and employment needs and other associated economic, social and environmental priorities. 

 

It is an important tool in supporting delivery of West Suffolk Council’s strategic priorities and essential for the continuation of an effective planning service. In addition, the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (2004), requires local planning authorities to prepare and keep an up-to-date local plan.

 

The Preferred Options document (Appendix A) represents the next stage of the plan making process. It is proposed to consult on the Preferred Options Local Plan and supporting documents for 8+ weeks from Thursday 26 May to Tuesday 26 July 2022.

 

The response received from this consultation will help shape the next version of the local plan.  That version will be the document which the Council proposes to submit for examination to the Planning Inspectorate and will be subject to a further round of consultation prior to its submission.

Alternative options considered:

The alternative option would be to not progress a new local plan or delay preparation and consultation. This would leave the Council at risk of unplanned, speculative development. As the Government requires West Suffolk to have an up-to-date plan in place, to not progress a local plan in a timely manner would be reputationally damaging and lead to Government intervention to produce a local plan for the district council and remove local decision making. See section 5 of Report number: CAB/WS/22/019 for furhter details regarding the implications of this.

Report author: Julie Baird

Publication date: 28/04/2022

Date of decision: 26/04/2022

Decided at meeting: 26/04/2022 - Cabinet

Accompanying Documents:

 

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