The Local Plan
What is the Local Plan?
1.1 Our Local Plan is vital – to support our communities, strengthen our economy and enhance our environment.
1.2 The Local Plan provides the vision and objectives, the measurable outcomes and the spatial strategy to manage the sustainable development of Shropshire.
1.3 The currently adopted Local Plan for Shropshire consists of the Core Strategy (2011) and Site Allocations & Management of Development (SAMDev) Plan (2015) that collectively cover the period 2006-2026.
1.4 Alongside the Local Plan, there are a number of ‘made’ (adopted) Neighbourhood Plans which are prepared by Parish and Town Councils.
1.5 Together, these documents form the Development Plan for Shropshire – the starting point when determining planning applications for development.
Reviewing the Local Plan
1.6 We are required to regularly review our Local Plan - at least every five years. These reviews are to ensure our Local Plan remains ‘up-to-date’ and significant weight may be applied to its policies in decision making.
1.7 Recent years have seen significant changes to the national planning picture, with the introduction of a new plan-making process and ongoing changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which sets out Government’s planning policies in England. This has led to important contextual changes locally.
1.8 As a result, we have now issued an intention to commence the preparation of the next Shropshire Local Plan.
1.9 This next Shropshire Local Plan will be progressed under Government’s new plan-making process, which is characterised by a more efficient 30-month preparation and adoption process (with an additional mandatory minimum four-month scoping stage prior to its formal commencement).
1.10 This scoping consultation is the first mandatory consultation which forms part of the four-month scoping stage of the plan-making process.
1.11 There are two further mandatory consultation stages in the new plan-making process, offering further opportunities for communities and other stakeholders to consider and influence the content of our next Local Plan. These consultations play an important role in ensuring our next Local Plan positively manages the long-term sustainable development of Shropshire.
1.12 The new plan-making process continues to include an independent examination in its latter stages, undertaken by the Planning Inspectorate. The examination is also expected to be more efficient – undertaken within a 6 month period. The examination continues to focus on whether the next Shropshire Local Plan is ‘sound’ – this means it is positive, appropriate, realistic, and consistent with national policy.
Scope of the Next Shropshire Local Plan
1.13 The next Shropshire Local Plan will establish the vision, measurable outcomes and a spatial strategy for the sustainable development of Shropshire over the period to 2046.
1.14 It will be informed by assessments of need for housing (including affordable housing and specialist accommodation), employment and other appropriate land-uses. To meet identified needs, the next Shropshire Local Plan will allocate land and provide policies to manage development.
1.15 Crucially, the next Shropshire Local Plan will also be informed by an Infrastructure Delivery Plan, identifying the infrastructure it is forecast will be required for new planned growth and how the infrastructure will be funded and delivered - ‘on-site’, through ‘developer contributions’ and/or from other sources. This infrastructure is likely to include additional school places, highway works, public transport and active travel improvements, new and enhanced GP practices, and leisure and community facilities.
1.16 To ensure the delivery of essential infrastructure, the next Shropshire Local Plan will identify the on-site infrastructure required for allocated sites and include policies outlining the ‘developer contributions’ required for the provision of infrastructure from development.
1.17 The next Shropshire Local Plan also provides an opportunity to consider and respond to evidenced local issues and opportunities, thereby maximising the potential of development to meet community needs and conserve and enhance our natural, built and historic environment.
1.18 As Shropshire Council is also a Mineral and Waste Planning Authority, the next Shropshire Local Plan will also form the Mineral and Waste Plan for Shropshire. This allows a joined-up approach to planning in Shropshire.
Policy Map
1.19 The next Shropshire Local Plan will be supported by a policy map which will indicate spatially where the policies of the next Shropshire Local Plan apply. This includes the location and extent of settlements, site allocations, policy designations (such as Green Belt) and historic and natural environment designations.
Supporting Technical Assessments
1.20 To support the preparation of our next Local Plan, we have undertaken initial technical screening. Through this process we have determined that the next Shropshire Local Plan will be informed and evaluated through several technical assessments. These are:
a/ Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of environmental effects.
b/ Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) considering effects on the integrity of protected European wildlife sites.
c/ Equality, Social Inclusion and Health Impact Assessment (ESHIA) to ensure we meet our general equality duty.
Community Infrastructure Levy
1.21 Alongside the preparation of our next Local Plan, we are also intending to review our Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule.
1.22 The CIL Charging Schedule establishes the amount of CIL payable from new development, which is used to fund necessary infrastructure improvements.
1.23 Whilst the review of the CIL Charging Schedule is a separate process to the preparation of the next Shropshire Local Plan, these processes are complementary and will share evidence.
1.24 The intention of the review of the CIL Charging Schedule is to deliver an appropriate balance between ensuring development remains viable whilst also funding its fair share of infrastructure improvements.
Key Milestones in Plan-Making
1.25 The next Shropshire Local Plan will be prepared using Government’s new plan-making process which introduces changes to the process and specific timescale expectations.
1.26 Figure 1.1 provides a succinct summary of the key milestones within the new plan-making process:
Timetable for Plan-Making
1.27 To support the preparation of the next Shropshire Local Plan we have produced a plan-making timetable, outlining when we anticipate key activities will occur and key milestones will be reached. This programme reflects the Government’s 30-month timeframe for plan production (plus a minimum 4 month notification period). The timetable will be kept under review throughout the plan-making process.
1.28 The full timetable is available on the council website.
1.29 A summary of this timetable is provided in Figure 1.2: