The National Planning Policy Framework strongly encourages all local planning authorities to get up-to-date Local Plans in place as soon as possible, in consultation with the local community. Up-to-date Local Plans ensure that communities get the right development, in the right place, at the right time, reflecting the principles of sustainable development. Through the White Paper we are ensuring that every part of the country produces, maintains and implements an up-to-date plan, yet with the flexibility for local areas to decide how to plan in a way that best meets their needs.
A wide section of the community should be proactively engaged so that Local Plans, as far as possible, reflect a collective vision and a set of agreed priorities for the sustainable development of the area, including those contained in any neighbourhood plans that have been made.
The Framework recognises the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside. That is why our proposals are focussed on development in built up areas.
We are also absolutely clear that Green Belt must be protected and that there are other areas that local authorities must pursue first, such as brownfield land and taking steps to increase density on urban sites. The Government is committed to maximising the use of brownfield land and has already embarked on an ambitious programme to bring brownfield land back into use.
We believe that developers should mitigate the impacts of development. This is vital to make it acceptable to the local community and to addresses the cumulative impact of development in an area. Both the Community Infrastructure Levy and Section 106 agreements can be used by local planning authorities to help fund supporting infrastructure and address the cumulative demand that development places on infrastructure. Through the White Paper, the Government announced that it will examine the options for reforming the existing system of developer contributions to see how this can be simplified, with further announcements at Autumn Budget 2017.
The £2.3billion Housing Infrastructure Fund will deliver up to 100,000 new homes by putting in the right infrastructure, in the right place, at the right time. We expect the fund to be able to deliver a variety of types of infrastructure necessary to unlock housing growth in high demand areas.
There is nothing automatic about grants of planning permission where there is not yet an up-to-date Local Plan. It is still up to local decision-makers to interpret and apply national policy to local circumstances, alongside the views of the local community. Applications should not be approved if the adverse impacts would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits; or if specific policies in the Framework indicate that development should be restricted.
Communities are also able to make representations on individual planning applications and in response to most appeals by the applicant against a local authority decision. Interested parties can raise all the issues that concern them during the planning process, in the knowledge that the decision maker will take their views into account, along with other material considerations, in reaching a decision.
We therefore do not believe a right of appeal against the grant of planning permission for communities is necessary. It is considered that communities already have plenty of opportunity to have their say on local planning issues, and it would be wrong for them to be able to delay a development at the last minute, through a community right of appeal, when any issues they would raise at that point could have been raised and should have been considered during the earlier planning application process.
Department for Communities and Local Government
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The sentiment expressed in this response from Government is that local communities should be consulted on proposed developments that affect area(s) where residents live. Moreover, one of the conditions of 'expressing (from Shepway District Council) an interest' to central Government for the building of a new town is that local communities should be supportive.
So, did Shepway District Council tell a great untruth about local support when 'expressing an interest' to build a new town? In a local survey we found that only 2 people out of 151 actually thought that a new town development would be a good idea. On the 7th June 2016, 27 local Parish Councillors expressed to the Leader of SDC, David Monk, that building a new town was a bad idea.
Despite residents opprobrium, SDC are still determined to start work on building 12,000 houses (outside of the Local Plan) in 2020. We have other ideas. It's clear that the biggest supporters of the new town development, apart from the Reuben (offshore BVI) Brothers, are David Monk, Jenny Hollingsbee and Susan Carey (pictured below)
We would like to start sending a message to these 3 individuals (that purport to represent us), and the message will be sent on the 4th May 2017 when Susan Carey will be standing to be re-elected in the Elham Valley District, County Council Election. We wouldn't have the temerity to indicate where you should place your cross on the voting paper, but we are openly encouraging our residents not to support a candidate; Ms Susan Carey, who has turned her back on the overwhelming majority of residents for reasons best known to herself.
Other candidates are available. (details will follow very soon)
S&DRA.
