Issue details

Formal Adoption of the Torbay Local Plan by Torbay Council

 

 

The new Torbay Local Plan (‘A landscape for success: The Plan for Torbay - 2012 to 2032 and beyond’) is the Council’s key development plan document. It will eventually replace the ‘Saved’ Adopted Torbay Local Plan 1995-2011, forming the basis for decisions on spatial planning matters within Torbay over the next twenty years. The Plan sets out a balanced strategy for change in the Bay, which embraces growth but puts protection and enhancement of Torbay’s unique environment at its heart.

Consultation on a Draft of the Torbay Local Plan took place in September 2012. A Proposed Submission Plan was published for formal representations in February 2014. The Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State for Independent Examination in July 2014. Examination Hearing Sessions have taken place in November 2014. The appointed Inspector is likely to be sending the Council his Report on the soundness of the Plan in early 2015. On receipt of a positive Report, the Council will be able to finalise the new Local Plan.

The Council is now being asked to agree to the formal Adoption of the Torbay Local Plan on completion of this statutory process.

Decision type: Key

Reason Key: Policy Framework;

Decision status: For Determination

Wards affected: (All Wards);

Notice of proposed decision first published: 10/12/2014

Decision due: 10 Dec 2015 by Council

Lead member: Executive Lead for Planning, Transport and Housing

Lead director: Assistant Director Corporate and Business Services

Contact: Steve Turner Email: steve.turner@torbay.gov.uk.

Consultation process

The preparation of local plans is a statutory process and consultation requirements are prescribed in ‘The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012’ [as Amended], in the context of supporting primary legislation. Further guidance is set out in the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). A variety of methods of public participation and engagement are used, according to the stage reached in Plan preparation. A Consultation and Engagement Strategy has been developed for each relevant Plan preparation stage. Following Adoption of the Local Plan by the Council, the relevant consultation bodies and other interested parties must be notified by the local planning authority.

Consultees

Plan preparation involves consultation and engagement with a large number and range of individuals and organisations, details of which are held in the Local Plan Consultee Database. This includes residents, Neighbourhood Forums and Community Partnerships, amenity organisations, statutory bodies, utilities, businesses, planning consultants and developers. All Ward Councillors are consultees and have been closely involved in the evolution of the Local Plan.

Reason for inclusion in Forward Plan: Following the close of the Examination towards the end of 2014, receipt of a Report from the Inspector confirming the soundness of the Local Plan will provide the Council with the opportunity to draw to a conclusion a lengthy and complex statutory Plan-making process. Thereafter, the timely Adoption of the Local Plan will ensure that change, growth and conservation of resources in Torbay continue to take place on a ‘Plan-led’ basis. The policies and proposals of the Plan have been the subject of extensive public consultation and engagement, which has provided the community with opportunities to influence outcomes to the benefit of local neighbourhoods. Preparation of the Local Plan in parallel with Neighbourhood Plans will enable both types of Plan to be compatible, empowering communities to influence decisions at a local level.

Key Risks: Preparation of the Torbay Local Plan is a corporate priority. The key aim of the Plan is to provide a clear direction for sustainable growth in Torbay over the next twenty years or so. Failure to progress the Local Plan to Adoption by the Council following the close of the Independent Examination would result in a high risk of ad hoc speculative development taking place in unsustainable locations. This is particularly relevant in the context of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which emphasises the need to produce up-to-date local plans and sets out the risks to local planning authorities that fail to pursue this approach. Failure to support these concluding stages of work on the Local Plan would also result in a lost opportunity to secure community gains for local areas and lead in turn to a loss of confidence within the community.

If you want to make representations contact:: Steve Turner, Service Manager Spatial Planning, Torbay Council, Electric House (2nd Floor), Castle Circus, Torquay TQ1 3DRTelephone (01803) 208812, Email steve.turner@torbay.gov.uk

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