Local Plan Inspectors Report Received

Full Council adopted the new Local Plan on 18 July 2006. The Plan has been adopted in accordance with the Inspector's Report following a public inquiry.

Inspector Brian Rogers, assisted by Inspector Robert Sexton, held the inquiry which opened in January and formally closed in April 2006.

The emerging Local Plan has gained considerable support from the Inspector. Overall he is satisfied that the Plan is consistent with national, regional and sub-regional policies.

The Inspector's recommendations are intended to make the Plan more consistent with the national commitment to sustainable development.

The Inspector has found that there is an adequate supply of housing land to meet the Structure Plan requirement in accordance with the Plan's strategy. The distribution of housing is acceptable, having regard to the desirability of promoting the most sustainable form of development within Spalding and the Area Centres (Holbeach, Long Sutton, Crowland, Sutton Bridge and Donington) and of helping to sustain the rural economy.

The Inspector has found that the Plan's proposals make appropriate provision of employment land to meet foreseeable demand, yet keep the forward supply of land within reasonable limits, and create a balanced portfolio of readily-available industrial land offering a variety and choice of sites. He considers that the Plan makes satisfactory provision for employment development in terms of the quantity, distribution, size and quality of sites in the remaining area of the District that is likely to be sufficient to meet needs during the Plan period. In its wider approach, he feels the Plan advances appropriate policies to satisfy the objectives of national and strategic policy in respect of the rural economy.

More Headlines are available here.

The Inspector makes a number of changes which are additional to those suggested by the Council prior to and during the inquiry. Many of these are relatively minor and/or improve the Plan. The inquiry was a positive process in this respect. There are a number of decisions made by the Inspector where he varies from the Council's approach. The Inspector's report is binding though so, in statutorily adopting the Local Plan, the Council has accepted his recommendations. There will be opportunity to explore any areas of concern, if the Council wishes, as part of the preparation of the Local Development Framework, which is already beginning.

Statutory adoption of the Local Plan will means there is now a particularly sound basis for planning the District. As the Council has not undertaken a full Strategic Environmental Assessment as part of the plan preparation, it could only statutorily adopt the Local Plan if it did so before 22 July 2006.

The Inspector's Report is available here and copies have been placed in the Council Offices, Long Sutton Market House and Public Libraries for public viewing. Paper copies are available upon request, price £25.00 (or £7.50 per chapter). 

The Council will soon be publishing a 'Notice of Adoption' as part of the final legal procedures to be undertaken and will be making the Adopted Local Plan available for reference, whilst making arrangements for printing of the Adopted Local Plan.

Headlines From The Inspector's Report

In terms of the Core Strategy, overall the Inspector is satisfied that the Plan's strategic approach is consistent with the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS8) and the Lincolnshire Structure Plan.

In brief, his conclusions on Housing are:

1. that there is an adequate supply of housing land in both quantitative and qualitative terms to meet the Structure Plan requirement in accordance with the Plan's strategy.
2. the distribution of housing is acceptable, having regard to the desirability of promoting the most sustainable form of development within Spalding and the Area Centres and of helping to sustain the rural economy.
3. that he has some concern that the supply of affordable housing provided via the planning process may fail to address the acknowledged shortfall in the short term. However, he says the relevant policy (HS8) has only been in place for a short period of time and, although there is some cause for optimism, its impact needs to be properly assessed before recommending any significant amendments. (He notes that there are, of course, other means of providing affordable housing.)
4. that the release of additional land, other than to meet exceptional local needs for affordable housing, as provided for in Policy HS9, would therefore unacceptably conflict with the Plan's strategy.
5. that the identification of reserve land at both Holland Park, Spalding and to the west of Holbeach is desirable as an integral part of promoting sustainable and properly planned urban extensions, with the appropriate infrastructure.

He has reached the following general conclusions in respect of Economy:

1. The Plan's general approach to the distribution of employment land between Spalding, as the only Main Town in the District, and the Area Centres is broadly consistent with RSS8 and the Structure Plan.
2. Within the Spalding Major Employment Area the Plan's proposals make appropriate provision of employment land to meet foreseeable demand, yet keep the forward supply of land within reasonable limits, and create a balanced portfolio of readily-available industrial land offering a variety and choice of sites. Land within this area is capable of meeting the desire for land for the provision of a high quality business park environment.
3. The Plan makes satisfactory provision for employment development in terms of the quantity, distribution, size and quality of sites in the remaining area of the District that is likely to be sufficient to meet needs during the Plan period.
4. In its wider approach, the Plan advances appropriate policies to satisfy the objectives of national and strategic policy in respect of the rural economy.

Other 'headlines' are:

Overall

• The Inspector's recommendations are intended to make the Plan more consistent with the national commitment to sustainable development.

Plans and Strategies, Objectives and Priorities

• Removes the 'Longer Term' section from Chapter 2.

Core Strategic and General

• Provides an alternative form of words for Policy SG2 (Distribution of Development), suggesting that there needs to be greater focus on the Plan's locational strategy.
• Agrees with our settlement hierarchy and with the removal of defined settlement limits (development boundaries) from the Other Rural Settlements.
• Suggests that the proposed changes to Policy SG4 (Development in the Countryside) do not go far enough and provides alternative wording to ensure that landscape character is properly taken into account.
• Considers that the 'Peterborough effect' should be examined through the Local Development Framework (LDF) and any further development allocations not be made until that time.
• Agrees that the relationship between Spalding and Pinchbeck should be dealt with in the LDF and that allocations should not be made in the 'gap' before that.
• Is satisfied about how we have dealt with flood risk.
• Expands Energy Efficiency policy, SG7, to require that larger developments incorporate renewable energy sufficient to provide at least 10% of its predicted energy requirements.

Housing

• Considers our Urban Capacity Study to be suitably robust and reliable.
• Adds in specific reference to the monitoring of rural housing provision, including affordable housing.
• Agrees with sites allocated for housing at Holland Park, at Holbeach and at Sutton Bridge (Inquiry Change version).
• Adds in an additional housing allocation at Lime Walk, Long Sutton and considers this modest over-provision to be acceptable (i.e. no compensating reduction elsewhere).
• Includes two relatively small areas within the defined settlement limits, at Long Sutton and Donington.
• Agrees with our suggested approach for Holland Park and land to the west of Holbeach (as set out in Inquiry Changes) to allocate as 'urban extensions' and work out the split of uses within the sites as part of development brief work.
• Merges policies HS 4 and 5, which has the effect of taking a sequential approach to windfall sites in Spalding as well as the Area Centres.
• Agrees with our approach restricting development in the Other Rural Settlements, including not permitting infill development as a matter of course.
• Agrees with our approach on affordable housing (Inquiry Changes version), that is one third affordable on sites of three or more dwellings, across the District.
• Deletes policy HS10 (Design and Layout of New Residential Development) as adequately dealt with under SG14.
• Agrees with our suggested policy for Gypsy and Traveller Sites (Inquiry Changes) subject to making some amendments to the policy to reflect latest Government advice, avoid duplication with other policies and ensure consistency of approach with other types of development and how they are handled in the Plan.

Economy

• Does not agree with the proposed Barrier Bank Business Park, feeling that it has not been adequately demonstrated that this is sequentially superior to other options, and in any case has concerns on various matters such as landscape impact.
• Amends the extent of Wingland employment area to be shown as 'under review' (varying from what we suggested through Inquiry Change and showing more as not under review).
• Amends the extent of Donington employment area (additional to changes suggested by us through Inquiry Changes).
• Reduces the extent of the Little Sutton employment area, reverting to the extent of site shown in the First Deposit Draft Local Plan.

Environment

• Revises the Renewable Energy policy, EN3, to delete the criterion about the local and wider benefits that the proposal may bring to the local economy, and deleting the (Inquiry Change) reference in policy to contributing to delivery of indicative regional targets, whilst adding in that proposals should demonstrate benefits (including economic ones).
• Deletes the Important Sites- Gateway Sites and Vistas policy, EN13, and associated reasoned justification, which he considers unnecessary given the existence of wider national and local policies which can guide development of such locations.

Leisure, Recreation and Tourism

• Disagrees with the proposed Leisure Hub at Baytree/ Fun Farm area and deletes the policy LT6 and allocation (although he amends policy LT1 which, in general terms, covers the main issues).

Transport and Communications

• There are no 'headline' changes to this chapter.

Appendices

• Parking Standards: Imposes a lower maximum parking standard to apply to residential development in Spalding and the Area Centres (to be maximum on average of 1.5 spaces per dwelling).