Local residents and businesses are being asked to comment on Solihull’s Draft Local Plan, when a consultation begins on Monday 5 December.
This Draft Local Plan will eventually replace the current Local Plan (December 2013), which the Council decided to review following the legal challenge to the housing requirement in the current Plan.
The Local Plan Review will also take into account the housing shortfall across the wider housing market area and aim to maximise the potential economic and social benefits for Solihull of the forthcoming HS2 Interchange Station.
The consultation will last for eight weeks, closing on 30 January 2017.
The outline programme for the review is below:
1. Draft Local Plan – consultation 5 December 2016 – 30 January 2017
2. Publication of Submission Draft (in light of comments from the present consultation) for further consultation – Spring 2017
3. Local Plan submission to Secretary of State – Summer 2017, which will then trigger an official Examination in Public (Winter 2017)
Councillor Ian Courts, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Managed Growth, welcomed the new Draft Local Plan:
“The proposed consultation is not a statutory requirement. However, we want local people and businesses to get involved in preparing a robust Draft Local Plan. We can then produce a Submission Draft before finally entering into the official consultation that comes before the Examination in Public. This is why the proposals at this stage are not fixed and why we are so keen for people’s views.
“I know it is vital for the future development of Solihull that the borough has a plan in place that can support the creation of homes and jobs in a planned and sustainable manner, while retaining the essential ‘Urbs in Rure’ character of the area.
“The final plan will have to juggle many competing forces, but to be effective, it really should have the involvement of residents, businesses, developers and the many other stakeholders that are affected. The question I would pose to everyone as they read through the plan and look at various sites is, ‘if not here, then where?’
“It’s important for local people to take the time to read the Draft Local Plan Review and see how it will affect themselves, their local area and the borough as a whole.”
The consultation will open on 5 December 2016.
The Council is launching an online portal to view the Draft Local Plan Review and submit comments directly. This will streamline the consultation and allow a more robust link between comments received and particular policies or proposals within the Plan. This will also help the public to see how their comments have shaped the next stage of the Plan. Please visit the website at http://www.solihull.gov.uk/lpr or go directly to the portal http://solihull.jdi-consult.net/localplan/
People will be able to discuss the plan in person with Council officers working on the Review at the following libraries, between 11am and 3pm:
The Core – Friday 9 December
Chelmsley Wood – Saturday 10 December
Dickens Heath – Saturday 17 December (closed 1pm – 2pm)
Balsall Common – Saturday 7 January
Knowle – Saturday 14 January
The Draft Local Plan Review can be viewed at http://www.solihull.gov.uk/lpr from Monday 5 December
The current Solihull Local Plan, adopted in 2013, can be viewed here
