Local plan
Local Plan
Did you know that all planning decisions - from deciding whether to build a new shopping centre, to whether to approve a new housing development - are assessed against a framework?
This type of framework is called the Local Plan. It helps to make sure the district is developed in the right way, including building the right number and types of houses, developing the right kind of shopping and recreation facilities, getting the right office and industrial spaces, creating opportunities for local jobs to be nurtured and protecting our wildlife, landscapes and heritage.
The new Local plan will be made up of a number of documents, the Local Plan: Strategy and the Local Plan: Allocations and will replace the 1998 Lichfield District Local Plan. Local communities may also wish to progress their own Neighbourhood Plans.
Latest news
Lichfield District Local Plan: Strategy
To find out the latest on the Local Plan: Strategy examination please click here.
The District Council has submitted the Local Plan: Strategy for examination in public on the 22nd of March 2013. A huge amount of information and all the representations received have been sent. For a full list of the documents sent see our Submission Document List. We now await further information from the Inspectorate and will provide updates as and when news arrives.
Proposed Submission Local Plan: Our Strategy
Proposed Submission Local Plan : Our Strategy Policies Maps
Examination Library Documents as set out within the attached Submission Document List
Hard copies of all documents submitted and the full representations made at the publication stage can be viewed at District Council House. Please ask for a member of the Development Plans Team at reception.
Transport Appraisal Lichfield City Addendum
The report considers the transport impact of the spatial strategy described in Lichfield District Council's Local Plan. It is an addendum to the 2009 Staffordshire County Council report 'Transport Appraisal of the Preferred Options for Lichfield City' The document is available through our Evidence Base page or by using the following link. Please use the following link to access our consultation centre and view comments received to Lichfield District Council.
Transport Appraisal for Lichfield City (Addendum)
Viability Study (December 2012)
A joint study commissioned with Cannock Chase District Council and Tamworth Borough Council. The purpose of the study is to provide information on viability and the impacts of each plan's policies. The Viability Study is available through our Evidence Base page or by using the following link. Please use the following link to access our consultation centre and view comments received to Lichfield District Council.
Viability Study (December 2012)
Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople Accommodation Assessment: Lichfield and Tamworth. October 2012
This final report presents the projection of the requirements for accommodation for the period 2012 - 2028. Consultation on this document has now finished. Please use the following link to access our consultation centre and view comments received to Lichfield District Council.
What have we produced to date to inform the Local Plan Strategy
The Local Plan carries on the work that has been carried out over the last five years on the Core Strategy, the name of the document has been changed based on guidence contained within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Previous Core Strategy documents show how our Strategy has evolved. Use the following link to access the previous Local Plan: Strategy and Core Strategy documents.
Full responses to all previous consultation documents are available to view through our consultation centre.
Neighbourhood Plans
The Localism Act enables communities to produce their own formal plans for a defined area (the Neighbourhood Area) should they wish to. Neighbourhood Plans are prepared by local communities and set out local planning policies specific to the neighbourhood area. These plans must be in line with national and local planning policy. More information on neighbourhood plans within Lichfield District can be found by visiting out neighbourhood plans page.
Current Development Plan
The current Lichfield District development plan comprises of the Regional Spatial Strategy 2008; Staffordshire Structure Plan 2001; the Minerals and Waste Local Plans and; the adopted Lichfield Local Plan (1998). This development plan will be replaced in due course by the emerging Lichfield District Local Plan. For more information on the current development plan please follow the link below.
River Mease Contributions Strategy
Lichfield District Council, working in partnership with the River Mease Programme Board* has published a Developer Contribution Strategy (DCS).
The DCS follows the publication of the Water Quality Management Plan for the River Mease and once adopted will provide a mechanism whereby developers can mitigate for the impact on the water quality of the River Mease SAC and will enable Lichfield District Council to support developments within the river catchment provided a financial contribution is made in line with the DCS.
Comments received on the DCS have been considered by the River Mease Programme Board and the respective planning authorities in the catchment area are being asked to adopt the document, Lichfield District Council resolved to adopt the document at Cabinet on 17th January 2013. Please click the links below to view the DCS and associated documents.
Please use the following link to access our consultation centre and view comments received to Lichfield District Council or follow this link to view all the comments made.
Consultation Responses to the Developer Contribution Scheme Draft Version
David Tyldesley Associates Overview of Responses to Consultations
Archive of consultation documents:
River Mease Water Quality Management Plan: Developer Contributions
River Mease Water Quality Management Plan: Developer Contributions Scheme Appendix 1
River Mease Water Quality Management Plan: Developer Contributions: Non-technical Summary
*The River Mease Programme Board comprises of: The Environment Agency, Natural England, Severn Trent Water, North West Leicestershire District Council, South Derbyshire District Council & Lichfield District Council
Community Consultation and Engagement
The Statement of Community Involvement sets out how we plan to involve the local community and stakeholders in the preparation of our Local Plan.
The Statement will also describe our procedures and arrangements for involving the community when considering planning applications and major proposals for development. To see examples of how we have engaged with our communities follow this link.
The Statement was adopted by the District Council on the 25th April 2006 following receipt of the Inspector's Report as set out in the Adoption Statement and Adoption Notice.
To make sure our plans are right for the district, we needed as many views on whether our proposals for the district are right - from where houses could be built, to what local facilities are needed. Please register at our consultation centre to be alerted to future consultations.
Rural Communities
Since summer 2010, we have been working with our larger rural villages to prepare a detailed report looking at their issues and needs, what the development opportunities are, and what the constraints are. This will be used to inform our work on the Local Plan. For more information please visit Rural Planning.
Some of our communities have also produced Parish Plans, follow the link to find out the latest news.
Changes to the planning system
The West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy was revoked by the Secretary of State on 6th July 2010, however a recent appeal decision reinstates the West Midlands Regional Spatial Strategy as part of the development plan for Lichfield District. Although Regional Strategies still form part of the development plan, it is expected that their abolition will follow through the Localism Bill as set out by Central Government.
For further information please click here. Evidence that informes Regional Policies/Proposals can still be obtained via The West Midlands Councils website
Call for sites
Details of the Call for Sites submissions have now been published, please follow the link below. The 'Call for Sites' is an early opportunity for individuals and organisations to suggest sites within Lichfield District for future uses. The site suggestions received by us will be used to inform the preparation of the Local Plan: Allocations. Find out more about the call for sites...
Other documents related to the Local Plan
Most Local Plan related documents can be viewed via our Consultation Centre to view documents but before you can comment online you must register first.Local Plan (Formerly Core Strategy)
The Local Plan: Strategy was published in July 2012, and sumbitted for independent examination in March 2013. To keep up to date on progress check out the latest news at the top of this page or click here.
IThe Loacl Plan: Strategy contains a vision and strategic objectives for the District as well as Core Policies that will set the basis for directing change in the District for the next 15 to 20 years.
Eventually the Local Plan will comprise of the Local Plan: Strategy and Local Plan: Allocations and Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs). All of these will need to be consistent, in their policies and proposals, with the Local Plan: Strategy.
Information put forward by land owners/agents for potential strategic allocations:
As part of the formulation of the Local Plan, we are considering allocating strategic housing sites in line with emerging preferred spatial development strategy. In accordance with this, initial proposals and studies have been submitted for consideration by the District Council to form part of the evidence base. The information that has been put forward by land owners / agents has been compiled in this section for ease and grouped by broad locations, evidence was submitted initially through the Preferred Options stage in December 2008, and some further evidence has been submitted for consideration as strategic allocations a selection of which are within the Shaping our District November 2010 consultation document. You can view the full range of submitted sites by visiting our call for sites page.
Local Plan: Allocations
The Local Plan: Allocations will identify the requirements for the development of sites and areas that will contribute to the Core Strategy. Work on the document has commenced with the Call for Sites
Key Dates:
- Commencement of document: July 2009
- Proposed Submission Consultation: November 2013
- Submission to Secretary of State: February 2014
- Commencement of the Hearing Sessions: May 2014
- Adoption & Publication: November 2014
Local Development Scheme
The Local Development Scheme is a public 'project plan' identifying which local development documents will be produced, in what order and when, however please note that some of the timescales have changed.
The Local Development Scheme acts as the starting point for the community and stakeholders to find out about the authority's planning policies in respect to a particular place or issue, and what the status of those policies. It also outline the details of and timetable for the production of all documents that make up the Local Plan over a three-year period.
Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs)
These are non statutory documents used to supplement policies and strategies set out in the Development Plan Documents. They can cover a wide range of issues. There are several SPDs, some of which have been adopted and others on which work is currently under way.
To find out more, visit our Supplementary Planning Documents section.
Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/SEA)
The policies and proposals contained in the Local Plan must be appraised to ensure that they contribute to the aims of Sustainable Development. The SA/SEA document sets out the results of this appraisal.
A key requirement of the Local Plan is that it contributes to the aims of Sustainable Development. The government defines Sustainable Development as:
- Living within environmental limits
- Ensuring a strong healthy and just society
- Achieving a sustainable economy
- Promoting good governance
- Using sound science responsibly
Documents produced so far
- Scoping Report (June 2007) the first step in undertaking the SA
- Interim Sustainability Appraisal (December 2008), and Addendum (January 2011)
- Sustainability Appraisal: Shaping Our District (November 2010), this document was published alongside the Core Strategy: Shaping our District Consultation Document between November 2010 and February 2011.
- Sustainability Appraisal:Proposed Submission Local Plan Strategy
- Sustainability Appraisal:Proposed Submission Local Plan Strategy (Updated)
These documents can also be viewed in the consultation centre
Evidence Base
We have assembled a range of information to inform the preparation of the Local Plan.
A number of assessments are currently being prepared and will form part of our evidence base. Visit our Evidence Base Section to find out more.
We also use up-to-date Parish Plans to help inform our work. Visit our Parish Plans section to view the latest information
