Update July 2008
The Local Development Scheme will require updating following the publication of the new PPS12: Local Spatial Planning and updated Regulations covering Local Development in England.
In the interim, there is a timetable in 'linked documents' which shows anticipated dates for the production of LDF documents.
What is the Local Development Scheme?
The Local Development Scheme (LDS) outlines the programme for preparing and reviewing statutory planning documents in Huntingdonshire.
The LDS is required by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, which introduced new types of plans for guiding land-use change, and new procedures for preparing them. The Local Development Framework (LDF) will replace the Huntingdonshire Local Plan in setting out planning policies and proposals for the area.
The Local Development Framework will comprise a number of documents to be prepared over a period of time. The LDS sets out what will be produced and when, and explains what will happen to existing policies during the transition period. It focuses on the next three years, but also gives an indication of work that is proposed beyond that horizon. The LDS will be kept under review and updated when necessary.
Section 2 gives a brief overview of the new system and its associated terminology, followed in Section 3 by an explanation of the transitional arrangements. Part B then provides a summary of the proposed LDF for Huntingdonshire: its overall structure (Section 4); the production programme (Section 5); and details of resources, monitoring and review arrangements (Section 6). Part C concludes with profiles of key documents in the LDF. For ease of reference a glossary of terms is included at Appendix 1.
A guide to the new system
The Development Plan provides the main point of reference when planning applications are considered: decisions must be made in accordance with the Development Plan unless ‘material considerations’ indicate otherwise .
Under the previous system of plan production the Development Plan comprised Structure Plans, which set out strategic planning policies, and Local Plans, which contained more detailed guidance. The current Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Structure Plan was adopted in October 2003. The Huntingdonshire Local Plan was adopted in December 1995, but was superseded in part by the Local Plan Alteration, adopted in December 2002.
Under the new system the Development Plan will instead comprise:
· The Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) prepared by the East of England Regional Assembly; and
· Development Plan Documents (DPDs) prepared by the local planning authority.
It should be noted that the length of examinations and reporting on DPDs will depend upon various factors including the number of representations received and the amount of resources the Planning Inspectorate has available. Therefore the examination and reporting timetables in the LDS may have to be revised at a later date. The appointed Inspector will decide upon how the examinations will run once the documents and final representations have been submitted.