Tuesday June 14, 2022
For immediate release
Public hearings to be held as part of Local Plan examination process
A series of public hearings will be held as part of the scrutiny process for Charnwood Borough Council’s Local Plan which sets out a vision for growth in the area.
The sessions will be held at Loughborough Town Hall starting on Tuesday, June 28.
Last year the Council submitted the Charnwood Local Plan 2021-37 to Government following several years of development, evidence gathering and consultations.
The plan provides a robust strategy for growth which simultaneously safeguards the environment and helps build healthy communities. It identifies how the borough will meet increased Government targets for new homes, as well as providing employment land and critical infrastructure.
Independent planning inspectors have been appointed by Government to examine the plan and assess whether it has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and if it is ‘sound’.
The assessment has already started, and the public hearings are the latest phase of that work.
The sessions are open for the public to attend but people cannot make representations unless they have already been invited to do so by the Local Plan programme officer.
Cllr Richard Bailey, the Council’s lead member for planning, said: “The public hearings are all part of the local plan process which is rightly subjected to intense scrutiny.
“This helps to ensure we get the best plan for Charnwood and one which delivers growth in a sustainable way and helps safeguard our local environment and build strong communities.
“The examination process is entirely independent of the Council.”
The public hearings start on Tuesday, June 28 and the final session is on Friday, July 22.
For more details on the local plan, the examination process and the full timetable of sessions, please visit www.charnwood.gov.uk/localplan
The Charnwood Local Plan 2021-37:
Identifies 154 hectares of employment land to support the creation of 8,900 jobs in the borough
Meets the borough’s housing need – the target figure set by Government – by allocating land for the development of 1,111 new sustainable and well-designed homes each year up to 2037
Focuses development towards intensifying and extending existing urban and suburban areas and larger villages, thereby creating accessible community hubs while protecting nearly 279 square kilometres of open countryside
Plans for the critical mass of development needed to secure infrastructure – including five new schools at Loughborough, Shepshed, Barrow, Anstey and Syston – as well as health services, roads and public transport networks
Will bring in an estimated £200 million in Section 106 money to pay for other improvements to facilities and amenities
At the end of the examination, the Inspector will send a report to the Council recommending whether it can adopt the plan. In most cases, the report will recommend some changes and further consultation is needed.
After that, the Council can adopt the local plan.
It is anticipated that the Council will be asked to vote on the adoption of the Local Plan by end of the year.
ENDS