Consultation on latest stage of South Worcestershire
Development Plan
Details have been confirmed of the latest public
consultation on the South Worcestershire Development Plan (SWDP),
which will guide economic and housing development in the area until
2030.
In July the three councils involved in
the SWDP – Malvern Hills District Council, Worcester City Council
and Wychavon District Council – agreed to refer a range of proposed
“Significant Changes” to the Plan to public consultation.
Now details of the consultation, starting
August 6, have been confirmed. There will be a range of exhibitions
across South Worcestershire and local people will be able to give
their views on the proposed changes via the website at http://www.swdevelopmentplan.org/
or by filling in a form available from the exhibitions or their
local library.
Councillor Judy Pearce is Vice Chair
of the SWDP Joint Advisory Panel, which includes councillors from
each of the three councils working on the SWDP and also from
Worcestershire County Council. She
said:
“We’re working to a very tight deadline, so I
would like to urge anyone interested in these proposals to get
their comments to us no later than 5pm on 14 September. By far the
best way of getting your comments to us is at http://www.swdevelopmentplan.org/,
but there will be forms available at the exhibitions and at local
libraries. It’s important to be clear that at this time we are only
consulting on the proposed Significant Changes. If you have already
commented on the Preferred Options we published last year, those
comments continue to be valid and do not need to be
re-submitted.”
The Significant Changes have been proposed in
response to a public consultation held towards the end of last year
on the Preferred Options for the SWDP, which attracted around
10,000 representations on a wide range of issues. New evidence and
policy – including changes to planning rules, the latest official
statistics on population growth and the latest evidence on housing
need – have also been taken into account.
Full details of the proposed
Significant Changes are available at http://www.swdevelopmentplan.org/.
Each consultation exhibition will be focussed
on one or more specific sites where Significant Changes are
proposed. The exhibitions will be an opportunity for people to see
the proposed new housing allocations in detail and discuss them
with Planning Officers. Residents will also be able to raise other
issues about the SWDP.
The plans can also be viewed on http://www.swdevelopmentplan.org/
and at local libraries.
Details of the venues and dates for
Malvern Hills District are set out below:
- HALLOW: Thursday 9th August 2012 - Hallow
Parish Hall 2:00PM - 8:00PM
- UPTON-UPON-SEVERN: Friday 10th August 2012 -
Memorial Hall 2:00PM - 8:00PM
- MARTLEY: Monday 13th August 2012 - Memorial
Hall 2:00PM - 8:00PM
- MALVERN: Thursday 16th August 2012 - Priory
Lodge Hall 2:00PM - 8:00PM
- POWICK: Monday 20th August 2012 - Powick
Parish Hall 2:00PM - 8:00PM
- TENBURY WELLS: Thursday 23rd August 2012 -
Tenbury Pump Rooms 2:00PM - 8:00PM
What happens next?
- 6 August-14 September – Consultation period to
consider proposed Significant Changes
- November 2012 – The three councils agree
to publish the pre-submission SWDP
- December 2012-January 2013 – Technical
consultation on the pre-submission plan, ensuring the evidence and
analysis is correct
- Mid-March 2013 – The three councils submit the
SWDP to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
for independent testing
- Summer 2013 – Public hearing held by
independent Inspector
- Autumn 2013 – Inspector’s report
published
- Late 2013 – Adoption of SWDP by the three
councils.