Decision details

The Crawley Local Plan Review has been undertaken to ensure the borough's Local Plan remains up-to-date. The new Crawley Local Plan has been prepared based on the outcomes of monitoring the implementation of the 2015 adopted Local Plan, feedback from the early engagement consultation and updating the supporting technical evidence base.

Following Full Council held on 11 December which approved the Draft Local Plan for Publication and Submission, formal public consultation took place between 20 January and 2 March 2020. Since the close of this consultation, a number of key changes have been made to the draft Local Plan. On this basis, it is intended that the amended draft Plan will be considered again at Full Council. Following this, a further stage of Regulation 19 Publication Consultation will take place.

The Local Plan is supported by a number of statutory supporting documents (a Local Plan Map, a Sustainability Appraisal, a Habitats Regulations Assessment and a Consultation Statement).

Cabinet are asked to recommend to Full Council to approve the submission draft Local Plan for Publication consultation (a statutory six-week period of public consultation).

Cabinet are asked to recommend to Full Council to approve the submission draft Local Plan for Submission to the Secretary of State for Examination by an independent Planning Inspector, subject to minor amendments deemed necessary following consultation for the purposes of clarity.

Cabinet are asked to recommend to Full Council to approve the publication and submission of the supporting documents for the Local Plan: the Local Plan Map; the Sustainability Appraisal; the Habitats Regulations Assessment; the Consultation Statement; and the detailed technical evidence base documents necessary for supporting the Local Plan through Examination.

In order to ensure the adopted Local Plan is maintained as the up-to-date policy position for the borough whilst the new Local Plan progresses through its Examination to adoption, a policy-by-policy ‘review’ of the continuing relevance and soundness of the existing adopted Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015 policies has been undertaken. Cabinet are asked to endorse and recommend to Full Council to approve the Local Plan Five Year Policy Assessment to confirm that each adopted Local Plan Policy retains full weight for Development Management decisions.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet delegates the following to the Head of Economy and Planning in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Development (Generic Delegation 5 will be used to enact these recommendations), subject to recommendation 2.3 being agreed by Full Council:

a)            Factual amendments to the Local Plan necessary in accordance with national policy and updated evidence for the purposes of clarity.

b)            The approval of the supporting documents for the Local Plan and technical evidence base documents to support the Local Plan through Examination.

That Cabinet recommends to Full Council:

a)            Approve the submission draft Local Plan and Local Plan Map for a further Publication consultation (a statutory six-week period of public consultation).

b)            Approve the submission draft Local Plan for Submission to the Secretary of State for Examination by an independent Planning Inspector, subject to amendments deemed necessary following consultation and updated evidence for the purposes of clarity.

c)            Note that the final Local Plan will be brought back to Full Council following its independent examination for adoption.

d)            Approve the Local Plan Five Year Policy Assessment to confirm that each adopted Local Plan Policy retains full weight for Development Management decisions.

Reasons for the Recommendations

National Government guidance expects local planning authorities to produce up-to-date Local Plans for their areas, setting out the strategic priorities for the area over a 15-year timescale and showing how development needs will be met. The Crawley Borough Local Plan was adopted by Full Council on 16 December 2015. It covers the period 2015 – 2030 and provides the borough’s full planning policies for the purposes of development management decisions. A review of this Plan is therefore required, to ensure the borough maintains up to date planning policies.  A full Local Plan Review has been undertaken, as well as an interim assessment of the adopted Local Plan policies to provide a strong planning policy position for the borough in the immediate future, and over the next 16 years.