HBF reps were submitted late last year on the Lancashire Structure Plan.
HBF reps were submitted late last year on the Lancashire Structure Plan. If the Planning Green Paper reform proposals are implemented, this may be one of the last Structure Plan consultation exercises. Nevertheless, this document will surely influence future Plans on issues such as Lancashires role within the Regional Spatial Strategy for the North West or the Local Development Frameworks to be prepared for the Lancashire Districts.
There is much in the Plan with which to disagree. The issue of extensive housing market failure in East Lancashire is a dominant theme of the Plan. The draft proposals seek to directly influence the location of new housing by targeting low demand/low yield areas. The Plan also seeks to lower the annual build rate in the second half of the plan period with little real justification. For the majority of the County, the Plan seeks to prohibit the development of Greenfield sites after the existing commitments have been developed. Correspondingly sub-regional brownfield development targets have been set at a much higher level than the 60% advocated by PPG3.
The Plan steadfastly refuses to consider the prospect of any development within the Green Belt during the Plan period; despite the fact that a growing body of evidence from elsewhere shows that this can often be the most sustainable location for large-scale new development. Such development can often bring major benefits to the community, such as new services and infrastructure; integrated public transport; Sustainable Drainage Systems etc.
There are clearly some major issues to discuss at the Examination in Public.