The Local Plan provides the basis for decisions on planning applications. it also sets out policies for meeting longer term requirements for housing, industry and open space, whilst protecting the Green Belt.
The current Local Plan was adopted in November 1998. It was saved in its totality until 28th September 2007. Since that date only certain policies are still in place Saved policies.pdf [pdf] 2MB . These will be replaced by policies in the New Local Plan in due course.
Until such time as the New Local Plan is adopted, the 1998 Adopted Local Plan should be considered alongside the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This requires the Council to give due weight to the 1998 Adopted Local Plan in accordance with the degree of consistency it has with the NPPF. The closer the policies are in the Adopted Local Plan to those in the NPPF, the greater the weight they may be given. In order to assist those involved on making and deciding planning applications, a conformity check has been prepared for the 1998 Adopted Local Plan which identifies the degree of consistency each policy has with the NPPF. This should be considered when submitting and considering planning applications.
1998 Adopted Local Plan Conformity Check.pdf [pdf] 62KB
The policies and wording of the Adopted Local Plan can be viewed below:
The Council has also adopted some Supplementary Planning Documents as guidance that will be taken into account when making planning decisions. These can be viewed by using the following link - Supplementary Planning Guidance