People can find out more about their borough's Local Plan progress from next week
A long-term plan which will help to determine future development in Newcastle-under-Lyme borough reaches its next stage in the upcoming weeks with a series of public sessions.
The borough council submitted its Local plan 2020 to 2040 to the Secretary of State in December last year. Now an independent planning inspector will consider the plan at a series of examination hearing sessions held in public from Tuesday 20 May.
Local plans are drawn up by councils to determine when, where and how development will take place in their area over a long-term period. Once adopted, plans help in the determination of future planning applications submitted to the council.
The examination is the final stage in the plan making process checking to see if it is legally correct and soundly prepared. Those taking part in the examination may want to amend the plan and can include residents, interest groups and developers. Anyone taking part in the sessions has already been contacted by the programme officer who works for the inspector.
The hearing sessions take place at Castle House next week and the weeks beginning 28 May and 17 June. All relevant information and documents can be accessed on Newcastle-under-Lyme’s Local Plan webpages. More details on taking part in the sessions is also available.
Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s portfolio holder for strategic planning, Cllr. Andrew Fear, said:
Our Local Plan is critical as it shapes future development in the borough which affects all our communities. The process of drawing the plan up is a lengthy one which includes consultation and feedback from interested residents, groups and businesses. The examination stage is the final phase before final approval by the planning inspectorate and its adoption. I’d urge anyone interested to visit our webpage and view the sessions if they can.”