Core Strategy

The Core Strategy Development Plan Document will set out our spatial strategy to help us guide and manage future development in the Borough in the most sustainable way. It is one of the first documents that will be produced as part of preparing the Local Development Framework. Before the Core Strategy can be adopted by the Council it will be subject to a number of stages of preparation.

A number of Stakeholder Workshops have been held since 2008 and can be viewed here.

Details of previous consultations are provided in the Core Strategy Archive.

Core Strategy Progress 2011

The Government has promised a radical reform of the planning system to give neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of the places in which they live. Recognising this shift in approach, the Council has considered new evidence, including the 2008 population and household projections, new government policy and the Decentralisation and Localism Bill to see what further work will be required to prepare its pre-submission draft of the Core Strategy. A revised Local Development Scheme has now be published which sets out a new timetable for the preparation of the Core Strategy, Site Allocations and Development Managmenet Development Plan Documents.

Next Steps

The next stage will be to prepare a Pre-Submission Core Strategy document. This will be published for at least six weeks public consultation before being submitted to the Secretary of State for examination.

Work has been progressing during 2009 and 2010 to gather further evidence to enable a decision to be made about directions for growth. The results of this work are being uploaded to our evidence base pages.

Core Strategy Stages of Preparation

The table below shows the stages of the preparation of the Core Strategy. We are currently at stage 1 of the preparation - Pre-Submission consultation.

Stage 1: Pre-Submission Consultation

Pre-Submission consultation was undertaken on Issues Papers in 2004 and Issues and Options in 2005, on Preferred Options in February 2006, Alternative Strategies in September 2007, Stakeholder Workshops in 2008 and on the Core Strategy Further Consultation document in October 2008. Comments made at this stage will inform the preparation of the Proposed Submission Core Strategy document.

Stage 2: Proposed Submission Core Strategy

A formal six week period of public consultation on the submission version of the Core Strategy will be undertaken. Only comments made at this stage are considered at the Examination.

Stage 3: Submission

Submission of the Core Strategy to Secretary of State.

Stage 4: Examination

Examination of the Core Strategy by an independent Planning Inspector to assess the soundness of the Core Strategy.

Stage 5: Adoption

Adoption of the Core Strategy, making changes recommended by the binding Inspector’s Report.