Local Development Scheme August 2014
Local Development Scheme (August 2014) / Page 2
Contents Section 1: Introduction Great Yarmouth s Development Plan 4 Section 2: Plan Making Process Public participation 6 Publication and submission 6 Sustainability Appraisals 6 Habitat Regulations Assessments 6 Examinations 6 Section 3: Emerging Great Yarmouth Borough Local Plan Local Plan Documents to be prepared 7 Supplementary Planning Documents to be prepared 8 Programme documents to be prepared 9 Planning documents which do not form part of the adopted Local Plan 9 Missed milestones from the previous Local Development Scheme (January 2014) 9 Recent Progress 10 Appendix 1: Glossary 11 Local Development Scheme (August 2014) / Page 3
Local Plan Evidence Base Section 1: Introduction 1.1 Great Yarmouth Borough Council s Local Development Scheme (LDS) sets out the proposed programme for the production of the Council s Local Plan which covers the Borough of Great Yarmouth (excluding the Broads Authority Executive Area) to 2029. This includes key milestones to inform people of opportunities to be involved in the plan-making process. This is the eighth review of the LDS and updates the previous version published in January 2014. 1.2 This LDS has been prepared in accordance with the Localism Act (2011), the National Planning Policy Framework and the Local Planning Regulations (2012) as amended. Great Yarmouth s Development Plan 1.3 The borough s development plan includes the adopted and emerging Local Plans plus any neighbourhood plans and is defined in section 38 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. As the Council s emerging Local Plan continues to take shape the development plan will change, Figures 1 and 2 below set out the existing and proposed planning framework for the borough. Figure 1: Great Yarmouth s Existing Planning Policy Framework National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) + Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) Planning Policy for Traveller Sites Norfolk County Council Minerals and Waste Local Development Framework Supplementary Planning Documents Parish Councils and Neighbourhood Forums Neighbourhood Development Plans Neighbourhood Development Orders Community Right to Build Orders Saved Great Yarmouth Borough Wide Local Plan Policies Direction under paragraph 1(3) of the schedule 8 to the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (September 2007) Emerging Local Plan documents Core Strategy LPD (Publication Draft - September 2013) Programme Documents Local Development Scheme Annual Monitoring Report Statement of Community Involvement Documents not produced by Great Yarmouth Borough Council Documents produced by Great Yarmouth Borough Council Interim Housing Land Supply Policy (Adopted July 2014) Local Development Scheme (August 2014) / Page 4
Local Plan Evidence Base Figure 2: Great Yarmouth s Emerging Planning Policy Framework National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) + Planning Practice Guidance Planning Policy for Traveller Sites Norfolk County Council Minerals and Waste Local Development Framework Supplementary Planning Documents Parish Councils and Neighbourhood Forums Neighbourhood Development Plans Neighbourhood Development Orders Community Right to Build Orders Great Yarmouth Borough Council Local Plan Local Plan Documents Core Strategy Development Policies and Sites Allocations Supplementary Planning Documents Planning Obligations Great Yarmouth Waterfront Area Programme Documents Documents not produced by Great Yarmouth Borough Council Documents produced by Great Yarmouth Borough Council Local Development Scheme Annual Monitoring Report Statement of Community Involvement 1.4 The Local Plan for the Borough of Great Yarmouth guides all future development in the borough (excluding the Broads Authority Executive Area). When new Local Plan documents are adopted by the Council, they will gradually replace the saved policies in the adopted Great Yarmouth Borough-Wide Local Plan (2001). Once adopted the new Local Plan will consist of three types of documents: Local Plan Documents (LPDs) Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) Programme documents which inform consultees of how and when we will involve them in planning and how policies are performing. These include the Statement of Community Involvement and the Annual Monitoring Report 1.5 The Norfolk County Council Minerals and Waste Local Development Framework prepared by Norfolk County Council guides the development and management of mineral resources and waste. Great Yarmouth Borough Council is not the minerals and waste planning authority so this LDS does not deal with these matters. 1.6 Under the Localism Act, Neighbourhood Development Plans and/or Orders can be produced by Parish Councils and Neighbourhood Forums to provide detailed guidance on specific or area based issues. These will be subject to independent examination and a local referendum. If approved at the referendum then the Council will adopt the Neighbourhood Development Plan. At the time of writing the Council no Neighbourhood Planning Area and Forum applications have been submitted to the Council. Local Development Scheme (August 2014) / Page 5
Section 2: Plan Making Process 2.1 The process of preparing and adopting development plans is set out in the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. A summary of the plan making process is set out below. Public Participation 2.2 The Council will undertake early public participation in the preparation of the Local Plan. Community involvement is a key part of the plan making process. The scale and nature of community involvement will vary according to the stage of document production. Public participation will be guided by the Council s Statement of Community Involvement. Publication and Submission 2.3 Following the public participation stages the Council will prepare the document for publication, known as the proposed submission stage. Once published there is a period for representations on issues of soundness and legal compliance. The Council can make limited, minor amendments to the published document at this stage before submitting it to the Planning Inspectorate along with the representations and a summary of any changes. Sustainability Appraisals 2.4 To assess the potential impact of Local Plan documents they must be subjected to a Sustainability Appraisal, in order to fulfil the requirements of the European Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Directive and the Local Planning Regulations. The appraisals are a systematic, iterative process, integrated into each phase of document production. Their purpose is to assess the extent to which emerging policies and proposals will help achieve the environmental, social and economic objectives. Habitats Regulations Assessment 2.5 In preparing Local Plan Documents, the need for an Appropriate Assessment has to be considered. Appropriate Assessment was introduced by the EU Habitats Directive and is an assessment of the potentially significant effects of a plan on European Sites designated for their nature conservation importance. A plan will only be approved after determining that it will not adversely affect the integrity of such sites. Examination 2.6 Once a Local Plan Document, its Sustainability Appraisal and all other supporting documentation have been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate it must be examined by an independent Planning Inspector. The Inspector is charged with examining whether the document complies with legislation and is sound. Details regarding the Soundness Test can be found in the National Planning Policy Framework. Local Development Scheme (August 2014) / Page 6
Section 3: Emerging Great Yarmouth Borough Local Plan 3.1 The Local Plan is a group of documents that sets out how the Borough of Great Yarmouth will develop over the next 15 years. The information below sets out which documents are to be prepared and when the key stages are in their preparation. Local Plan Documents to be prepared 3.2 The Core Strategy Local Plan Document sets out the key elements of the planning framework for the area. It comprises a long term vision and strategic objectives, a spatial strategy, core policies and a monitoring and implementation framework with clear objectives for achieving its delivery. All other Local Plan Documents will build on the strategic principles set out in the Core Strategy. 3.3 The Development Policies and Site Allocations Local Plan Document sets development control policies and identifies sites for uses such as housing, employment, retail and leisure. These policies will be used alongside the policies in the Core Strategy to assess planning applications. This document was originally intended to be prepared as two separate documents: one on development control policies and a separate document on site allocations. These documents were merged to enable the proposed policies to be brought forward more efficiently. 3.4 A full timetable for the production of the Local Plan documents is shown in Figure 3. It is important to note that some of the dates have less certainty, such as adoption dates, as they depend on the timing and length of examinations (indicated in italics). Figure 3: Local Plan Document preparation timetable Document Preparation Stage LDS target date Core Strategy Issues and Options (Part 1) consultation October December 2005 Issues and Options (Part 2) consultation March April 2006 Preferred Options consultation August September 2006 Preferred Options (Amendment) consultation February March 2009 Finalising our Options consultation November December 2012 Publication consultation September-November 2013 Submission April 2014 Examination in Public (Hearings) November 2014 Adoption February 2015 Local Development Scheme (August 2014) / Page 7
Development Policies and Site Allocations Issues and Options December 2014 January 2015 Preferred Options May/June 2015 Publication December 2015 January 2016 Submission April 2016 Examination in Public (Hearings) September 2016 Adoption December 2016 Great Yarmouth Waterfront Area Action Plan Issues and Options March April 2006 Preferred Options November December 2010 The Council has decided to cease work on the Great Yarmouth Waterfront Area Action Plan. Consultation responses and background evidence used to prepare the Great Yarmouth Waterfront Area Action Plan will be used to inform the Great Yarmouth Waterfront Area Supplementary Planning Document. Supplementary Planning Documents to be prepared 3.5 Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) are produced to expand on policies within Local Plan Documents, providing additional information and guidance. They can be topic based or site specific. 3.6 The first SPD the Council intends to prepare is a Planning Obligations SPD. Once, adopted this SPD will provide guidance and standards on the planning obligations including commuted sums. 3.7 The second SPD to be prepared will be the Great Yarmouth Waterfront Area SPD. This SPD is intended to replace the previously scheduled Great Yarmouth Waterfront Area Action Plan document and to provide additional detail to support emerging Core Strategy Policy CS18. Once adopted, the SPD will seek to provide additional detail on the Council s regeneration ambitions for the waterfront area and provide clear guidance on planning matters and urban design within the defined waterfront area. Figure 4: Supplementary Planning Document preparation timetable Document Preparation Stage LDS target date Planning Obligations SPD Great Yarmouth Waterfront SPD Public consultation on Draft SPD May/June 2015 Adoption November 2015 Public consultation on Draft SPD December 2015 January 2016 Adoption April 2016 Local Development Scheme (August 2014) / Page 8
Programme documents to be prepared 3.8 The Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) sets out the ways in which the Council will involve the community in the preparation and review of all documents in the Local Plan and major planning applications. It sets out our overall vision for involving the community, the methods we will use and the opportunities to become involved. The current SCI was adopted in March 2013. 3.9 The Council produces an Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) which provides a summary of all development delivered within the borough. In response to the Localism Act, Local Planning Authorities no longer have to submit Annual Monitoring Reports to the Secretary of State. However, the requirement to prepare and publish monitoring reports for the public remains. 3.10 The latest published version of the AMR (December 2013) was updated in part to reflect policies within the emerging Core Strategy. This enables policies in the Core Strategy to be more accurately assessed once they are adopted. The AMR also assesses whether or not targets and milestones related to the production of the Local Plan have been met. Planning documents which do not form part of the adopted Local Plan 3.11 In July 2014 the Council adopted the Interim Housing Land Supply Policy. The Interim Housing Land Supply Policy adoption falls outside of the statutory procedures for Local Plan adoption as such it will not form part of Great Yarmouth Borough Council s Development Plan. The Interim Housing Land Supply Policy will however be relied upon as a material consideration in the determination of planning applications. 3.12 The Interim Housing Land Supply Policy will only be used where the Council s five year housing land supply includes sites identified in the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment. 3.13 A six week public consultation on the draft Interim Housing Land Supply Policy commenced on Friday 21 February 2014 and ended on Monday 24 March 2014. During the consultation period, copies of the document and comments forms were made available at the Town Hall in Great Yarmouth, on the Council s website and at all public libraries throughout the Borough. In addition, consultees were also invited to attend a drop-in consultation event at the Town Hall in Great Yarmouth between 3pm and 6.30pm on Monday 3 March 2014. In total, approximately 30 people attended the event at the Town Hall. Missed milestones from the previous Local Development Scheme (January 2014) 3.14 There have been several missed milestones in the production of both the Core Strategy and the Development Policies and Site Allocations Local Plan Documents. Delays to the Core Strategy are primarily due to underestimating the length of time required to undertake a Local Plan examination. Local Development Scheme (August 2014) / Page 9
3.15 Delays to the Development Policies and Site Allocation document are directly related to staff shortages within the Strategic Planning Team and a need to prioritise work relating to the Core Strategy Examination. Recent progress 3.16 The Core Strategy Local Plan document was formally submitted in to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Secretary of State) for independent examination in April 2014. The Planning Inspectorate has appointed as independent Inspector Mr Malcolm Rivett BA (Hons) MSc MRTPI on behalf of the Secretary of State to undertake of the examination of the Core Strategy. In advance of the examination hearings scheduled for November the Council has also recently undertaken a review of its 2012 SHLAA. 3.17 In July 2014 the Council adopted the Interim Housing Land Supply Policy. The Interim Housing Land Supply Policy adoption falls outside of the statutory procedures for Local Plan adoption as such it will not form part of Great Yarmouth Borough Council s Development Plan. The Interim Housing Land Supply Policy will however be relied upon as a material consideration in the determination of planning applications. Local Development Scheme (August 2014) / Page 10
Appendix 1: Glossary Term Acronym Definition Adoption The final confirmation of a Local Plan Document as having statutory status by a Local Planning Authority Area Action Plan AAP A Local Plan Document that may be used by the local planning authority to provide a planning framework for areas of significant change or conservation. Intended to deal with specific areas and specific requirements such as the redevelopment of an area of derelict land and buildings Annual Monitoring Report Great Yarmouth Borough-Wide Local Plan (2001) Core Strategy Development Policies and Site Allocations LPD AMR BWLP A required report undertaken by a Local Planning Authority that reports on the implementation of the Local Plan and to what extent and effectiveness policies are being achieved. A plan produced by local authorities under the former planning system. The Great Yarmouth Borough-Wide Local Plan is being replaced by the Local Plan. A Local Plan Document which sets the long-term spatial vision for the local planning authority area, and the spatial objectives and strategic policies to deliver that vision. A Local Plan Document that seeks to implement the strategic policies in the Core Strategy through the use of detailed development control policies and non strategic site allocations. Examination in Public EiP Local Plan Documents and the Statement of Community Involvement will be subjected to independent scrutiny by way of an Examination in Public. Issues and Options Document(s) produced during the pre-submission stage of preparing Local Plan Documents for the purpose of gaining public consensus on proposals before submission to the government for independent examination. Local Plan Documents LPD Sat within the Local Plan portfolio are Local Plan Documents that have been subject to independent testing. Local Plan Documents collectively deliver the spatial planning strategy for the local planning authority's area. Local Plan Local Development Scheme LDS Is a term used to describe a folder of Local Plan Documents that provides the local planning authority's policies for meeting the community s economic, environmental and social aims for the future of the area where this effects development and the use of land. A public project plan identifying which Local Plan Documents will be produced within the Local Plan, in what order and when, over a three year period. National Planning Policy Framework Planning Inspectorate Agency NPPF PINS New planning legislation which has recently been adopted. The framework replaces existing Planning Policy Statements and Guidance Notes as part of Government reforms to make the planning system less complex and more accessible with an overarching goal of achieving sustainable development. A Government body with multi-facing tasks including the processing of planning and enforcement appeals and holding enquiries into Local Plan Documents. Preferred Options Policy Map Soundness Document(s) produced as part of the preparation of Local Plan Documents, and issued for formal public consultation. The adopted Policy Map illustrates on a base map (reproduced from an Ordnance Survey map to a registered scale) all the policies contained in Local Plan Documents. It is site and location specific, unlike the Key Diagram. The proposals map is revised as each new Local Plan Document is adopted and reflects the up to date planning strategy in the area. Considered against a robust and credible evidence base and being the most appropriate strategy when considered against reasonable alternatives. In order to be sound a document must be deliverable, flexible and must have the capacity to be monitored. Local Development Scheme (August 2014) / Page 11
Statement of Community Involvement Supplementary Planning Document Sustainability Appraisal SCI SPD SA Document setting out how and when stakeholders and other interested parties will be consulted and involved in the preparation of the Local Plan and Development Control decisions. Local Plan document that has not been subject to independent testing and does not have the weight of development plan status; it is used to provide further detail of policies in the required Local Plan Documents. Identifies and evaluates the effects of the strategy or plan on social, environmental and economic conditions. Local Development Scheme (August 2014) / Page 12
Strategic Planning Team, Great Yarmouth Borough Council Town Hall, Hall Plain, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, NR30 2QF Telephone: 01493846626 Email: localplan@great-yarmouth.gov.uk