Local Plan for North Warwickshire

The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 introduced a new way in which planning documents and policies are created, so to simplify and speed up the process in which policies can be prepared and updated. The Local Plan for North Warwickshire is/will be made up of a number of documents, all forming part of the Development Plan, and are outlined below. As well as this the Government wants more community involvement in plan-making and has recently introduced Neighbourhood Planning.

In the interim, the majority of policies of the North Warwickshire Local Plan 2006 are saved indefinitely and still apply. A number of saved policies from the Warwickshire Structure Plan, Minerals Local Plan and Waste Local Plans also still apply.

Please note that due to the Coalition's continued aim to overhaul the planning system at national, regional and local level, the significance and status of these documents may change over time. We shall endeavour to ensure this page is up to date, but reference should be made to our Interim Policy Statement, details of which can be found below.

What's in the Local Plan for North Warwickshire?

The Local Plan will consist of a portfolio of Development Plan Documents (DPDs) and Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs). These will include:

• Core Strategy DPD - this will form a key part of the Local Plan, containing a vision and strategic objectives for the Borough as well as Core Policies that will guide development for the next 15 to 20 years.
• The Proposals Map - presently carried forward from the Local Plan 2006, this sets out designations and constraints for development across the Borough as a whole, and define settlement boundaries.
• Site Allocations DPD- this will set out what sites are allocated for the strategic delivery of housing, employment and other facilities across the Borough in the next 15 to 20 years.
• Gypsy and Traveller DPD - this will set out which sites are allocated for permanent and transitory gypsy and traveller pitches across the Borough.
• Development Management DPD - this will draw on the aforementioned DPDs and set out more detailed policies which will manage and assist in the delivery and implementation of specific development proposals.
• Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) - these are similar in nature to the current Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) that has been prepared by the Council. SPDs are and will be consistent with and expand on existing policies within the Local Plan 2006, Core Strategy and DPDs.

The West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy (WMRSS) is also a material consideration in the preparation of the Local Plan for North Warwickshire, with it also presently part of the Development Plan. This document sets out the strategic objectives for the region.

Other relevant documents

• Local Development Scheme (LDS) - this sets out the 3 year rolling timetable for the production of the Local Plan for North Warwickshire.
• Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) - this document will set out how the Council will consult the general public on the different parts of the Local Plan for North Warwickshire.
• Interim Policy Statement - this gives a complete list of saved policies from existing plans in order to give clarity to residents, landowners, developers and other stakeholders on how the Council will consider development proposals.
• Design Briefs - these give more specific guidance on the development of particular sites.
• Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) - these reports set out the extent to which policies contained within the LDDs are being achieved and to ensure that the LDS is being implemented.
• Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/SEA) - the SA is required to inform the creation of any DPDs and must also, in certain circumstances, conform to the SEA.