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MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL
RECORD OF DECISION OF THE Cabinet
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Decision Made: |
12 October 2011 |
LOCAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME 2011
Issue for Decision
To consider the Local Development Scheme 2011 (attached at Appendix A to the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment) for submission to the Secretary of State, in accordance with Regulations 10 and 11 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004, as amended 2008 and 2009.
Decision Made
1. That, having regard to the views of the Local Development Document Task and Finish Scrutiny Panel, the Local Development Scheme 2011 (attached at Appendix A to the report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment) be adopted and approved for submission to the Secretary of State.
2. That the Local Development Scheme 2011 will come into effect formally on the date of receipt of notification that the Secretary of State will not be issuing a Direction Notice.
3. That the responses to the Scrutiny Committee Recommendation Action and Implementation Plan (SCRAIP), as attached at Appendix A and Appendix B (Diagram), be agreed.
Reasons for Decision
The Council is required to produce a Local Development
Scheme, which sets out the range of development plan documents it is proposing
to prepare together with a work programme over a minimum three year period.
Although there is no duty to include a programme for the production of
Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs), the identification of key SPDs that
are a priority to deliver Core Strategy policies provides clarity for the
public.
On 8 June 2011 Cabinet approved the Development Plan Documents (DPDs) and Area Action Plans (AAPs) that would form the basis for preparing an amended Local Development Scheme (LDS) for Maidstone. At the same meeting Cabinet prioritised the Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) required to provide the necessary detail to implement Core Strategy policies. These documents are listed below.
· Core Strategy DPD
· Development Delivery DPD
· Central Maidstone AAP
· Parking Standards SPD
· Landscape Character Guidelines SPD
· Affordable Housing SPD.
The amended LDS (2011) is attached at Appendix A to the
report of the Director of Change, Planning and the Environment. It contains a
brief introduction to explain the Local Development Framework (LDF), identify
the documents that comprise the development plan, and a summary of the purpose
of an LDS. A synopsis of the challenges for Maidstone sets the context within
which the LDS documents are being prepared. In accordance with regulations,
progress on the currently adopted LDS (2009) is reviewed, which includes an
explanation of why the scheme must now be amended. It sets out amended LDS
timetables the various stages of plan production and identifies key target
dates or “milestones”. Risks to completing the LDS programme are identified,
together with the steps that have been taken to minimise those risks. Document
project plans set out the subject matter and general content of each DPD/AAP,
and explain the arrangements for the production of documents. A glossary of
terms is included to assist the reader with terms commonly used throughout the
document.
The LDS documents are programmed to be delivered over 3½
years. The detailed timetable for the production of DPDs/AAPs is set out in
the LDS programme and document project plans. The table below summarises
proposed adoption dates.
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Adoption Date |
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Core Strategy DPD |
March 2013 |
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Central Maidstone AAP |
August 2014 |
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Development Delivery DPD |
March 2015 |
The Core Strategy DPD, which sets the Council’s spatial
vision and objectives for future development in the borough, is the lynchpin of
Maidstone’s Local Development Framework (LDF) and its adoption is a priority
for the Council. The Central Maidstone AAP will provide for regeneration of
defined areas within and adjacent to the town centre, and will set out a policy
framework to determine planning applications. The AAP will identify different
land use “quarters” and will include site specific land allocations. The
Development Delivery DPD will designate areas of protection, make site specific
land allocations, and include Development Management policies that will assist
in the determination of planning applications.
A Parking Standards SPD will set local parking standards for
new commercial and residential development. The Landscape Character Guidelines
SPD is required to develop a toolkit to assist with determining planning
applications within the landscape areas identified in the emerging Landscape
Character Assessment. An Affordable Housing SPD will deliver the detail of the
Core Strategy affordable housing policy, which will supersede the currently
adopted Affordable Housing DPD. These documents will be delivered within the
lifespan of the LDS (2011).
Following submission, the Secretary of State has 4 weeks to
decide whether to issue a Regulation 15(4) Direction, directing the local
authority to make amendments to the LDS. If a Direction is issued, a further
report will be presented to Cabinet.
Regulations state that local authorities must determine when a new or revised LDS will come into effect. It is therefore agreed that the Local Development Scheme 2011 formally comes into effect on the date of receipt of notification that the Secretary of State will not be issuing a Direction Notice.
Alternatives considered and why rejected
The LDF must contain a Core Strategy DPD and a Proposals Map, and the Council has a duty to maintain an up-to-date LDS. The Council could confine its LDS programme to the production of a Core Strategy. Although the Core Strategy will set a policy framework, it will not deliver the level of detail necessary to implement all of its policies and strategies. The alternative approach would exacerbate a growing policy framework vacuum for development management processes, and would impact on the Council’s ability to plan for its growth in a sustainable manner.
Background Papers
None
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Should you be concerned about this decision and wish to call it in, please submit a call in form signed by any two Non-Executive Members to the Head of Change and Scrutiny by: 20 October 2011 |