Huntingdonshire District Council has committed to the preparation of a full update to the adopted Local Plan, at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday 24 January 2023. This will set out how the district will grow over the coming decades.
The council's current 'Local Plan to 2036' was adopted on 15 May 2019 identifying sufficient land for new homes, jobs, facilities, infrastructure, and open spaces to meet known needs. This will continue to be used to determine planning applications until the updated Local Plan is completed.
The Local Plan is an important District Council document that sets the statutory planning framework for the district, shaping development many years into the future. Town and Country Planning Regulations state that the local planning authority must review it every five years starting from the date of adoption.
Executive Councillor for Planning, Cllr Tom Sanderson, said: "An updated Local Plan provides opportunities to introduce policies that can help to deliver the council's and communities' priorities. We can look to make changes to reflect new and emerging national legislation, our corporate ambitions as a Joint Administration and priorities we have heard through community engagement on Huntingdonshire Futures and the Climate Strategy."
Approval was also given to issue the council's proposed Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) for public engagement. This document outlines how the District Council will engage and consult with the local community on planning matters. A proposed Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report (SASR) was also approved for public engagement. This sets out how the District Council will consider the possible environmental, social and economic impacts of the Local Plan update throughout its preparation.
Public engagement on the SCI and SASR documents will commence in early February 2023. This is the first of a series of public engagement opportunities that will shape the full update to the Local Plan.