Local Plan 2016/2038

Pre-Submission Draft Local Plan:

Purpose of the Local Plan

The purpose of the Shropshire Local Plan is to plan effectively for growth over the long term, in this case to 2038. The Plan should respond to local issues, including settlement and site specific evidence base and from public consultation responses, but should also respond to national policy and guidance.  As such the Plan establishes a long term housing requirement for the County to 2038, based in part on the nationally defined housing need for the County, but also taking into account localised factors, in particular the need to support economic growth and the to deliver more affordable and lower cost housing.  Additional employment and necessary infrastructure improvements are planned alongside housing development in seeking balanced and sustainable growth.  

Previous Stages of Consultation

There have been four stages of consultation thus far, as part of the ‘Regulation 18’ stage of preparation.  These stages have sought views on a range of issues including County wide growth proposals; the distribution of that growth; settlement specific strategies; proposed site allocations to guide future growth; and the inclusion of a number of ‘strategic settlements and a strategic sites’ on land outside recognised settlements for large scale mixed use development.  Alongside this the Council have developed a range of evidence base documents to inform proposals.

Pre-Submission Local Plan

The pre-submission Draft Local Plan represents the Council’s ‘Regulation 19’ version of the Plan. This is a statutory stage of plan making and should represent an advanced and fully formed version of the Plan.

Subject to approval by Cabinet on the 20th July 2020, the intention is to consult on the pre-submission Draft Local Plan for a period of 8-weeks, commencing in early August and ending at the end of September. The Cabinet paper containing the local plan paper can be viewed on the Shropshire Council website under the Cabinet agenda for the 20th July. Cross Houses is included in the Shrewsbury place plan area, page 270 and appendix 5 on page 330. In line with national Regulations this consultation will provide an opportunity for the public and other stakeholders to comment on whether they consider that the pre-submission Draft of the Local Plan is ‘sound’ based upon a set of nationally prescribed criteria. 

Structure of the Document

The pre-submission Draft Local Plan consists of 6 main sections. These are as follows:

1. An introduction to the document.
2. The Strategic Policies – high level policies which set the priorities and framework for the Local Plan. 
3. The Development Management Policies – detailed policies for managing development.
4. The Settlement Policies – provide settlement strategies and guidelines. They also identify any Local Plan site allocations (saved SAMDev Plan allocations are identified in Appendix 2).
5. The Strategic Settlements/Strategic Site Policies – provide strategies and guidelines for the strategic settlements/sites.
6. The Appendices:

a. Appendix 1 and 2 provides information on the proposed status of policies and site allocations within the Core Strategy/SAMDev Plan;

b. Appendix 3 and 4 identifies key evidence, delivery mechanisms and monitoring indicators for policies;

c. Appendix 5 and 6 summarises the residential and employment development guidelines for settlements and identifies the completionsthat have already occurred and commitments (including existing and proposed allocations) available to achieve the identified residential and employment guidelines. 

Location of Consultation Material on the Shropshire Council Website

Consistent with previous stages of consultation on the Local Plan, the primary way to view the pre-submission Draft Local Plan and its supporting documents is via the Shropshire Council Website.

Specifically, a consultation page will be created under the ‘Get Involved’ element of the Council website. A link to this consultation webpage will also be provided from the Local Plan section of the Council website.

Location of Physical Copies of the Consultation Material 

Physical copies of the pre-submission Draft Local Plan and key supporting documents will be made available to view at The Shirehall and the following libraries: Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Oswestry, Bishops Castle, Bridgnorth, Broseley, Church Stretton, Cleobury Mortimer, Ellesmere, Market Drayton Shifnal, Whitchurch, Albrighton, Bayston Hill, Craven Arms, Gobowen, Harlescott, Highley, Much Wenlock, Pontesbury and Wem

These copies will be available from the 3rd August the start of the consultation process.

Due to the ongoing Covid 19 emergency, and in responding to gradual re-opening of Shirehall and libraries, there may be a requirement to view the document by appointment.  More information on this will be provided before the start of the consultation.

Local Plan Policies

There are a range of policies within the pre-submission Draft Local Plan. A number of the policies address issues which are likely to be of significant interest, including(this list is not intended to be exhaustive):

Policies SP3. Climate Change and DP12. Minimising Carbon Emissions: Together these policies will support the transition to a zero-carbon economy. 

Policy SP3 identifies high-level principles and requirements, whilst Policy DP12 identifies specific design requirements for development. It is important to note that these are complemented by other policies in the Local, including those relating to flood risk, infrastructure and green infrastructure.

Policy SP5. High-Quality Design: Provides a framework and detailed design requirements to achieve the high-quality design of new development. 

Policies SP7. Managing Development in Community Hubs, SP8. Managing Development in Community Clusters and SP9. Managing Development in the Countryside: Provide the starting point for managing development within the countryside and rural settlements.

Policies SP10. Shropshire Economic Growth Strategy, SP11. Delivering Sustainable Economic Growth and Enterprise and DP9. Strategic Corridors: Together these policies provide the starting point for promoting and managing employment development.

SP12. Whole Estate Plans: Provides support for Whole Estate Plans, a method by which Estates can articulate their long-term vision for their land and premises, where they are consistent with the policies and objectives of the Local Plan.

Policy DP1. Residential Mix: Introduces requirements for residential development to include an appropriate mix of dwellings sizes, types and tenures.

Policies DP3. Affordable Housing Provision, DP4. Affordable Exception Sites, DP5. Entry Level Exception sites and DP6 Single Plot Exception Sites and DP7. Cross-subsidy Exception Sites: Together provide a range of mechanisms to deliver affordable housing.

Policy DP26. Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty AONB: To manage development within the AONB.

Policy DP30. Health and Wellbeing: Requires new development to contribute to the health and well-being of individuals, communities and places.

Settlement Guidelines

For the majority of settlements, the residential and employment development guidelines in the Pre-Submission Draft Local Plan are the same as those that were consulted on during the Preferred Sites Consultation. However, it is important to note there are some instances where these guidelines have gone up or down, in response to specific circumstances associated with these settlements.

It is also important to note that within the settlement policies, residential and employment guidelines are expressed as gross figures, as they describe the total figure for the plan period. Appendix 5 and 6 identify the completions that have already occurred and commitments (including existing and proposed allocations) available to achieve the identified residential and employment guidelines.

What Happens Next?

Following the conclusion of the pre-submission Draft Local Plan Consultation, officers will analyse the responses received.

Subject to this process, the intention is for the pre-submission Draft Local Plan to be considered by Full Council in late 2020. Subject to approval, the document will then be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for examination in early 2021.

The examination is likely to last around a year, although it could be longer as timescales are established by the appointed Planning Inspector. We currently anticipate adoption occurring in early 2022.

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