Local Plan update – 5th January 2018

From Wendy Blythe, Chair

Dear All,

Happy New Year!

It starts with a bang! Final Consultation on a schedule of modifications on the Cambridge/South Cambs Local Plan started today and will finish 5pm, Friday Feb 16th.

The Cambridge Local Plan and South Cambridgeshire Local Plan were submitted for examination in March 2014. The plans set out how the development needs in the area will be met to 2031.

Why are the Councils carrying out consultation?

Following completion of examination hearings into the Cambridge Local Plan and South Cambridgeshire Local Plan in July 2017, the plans have reached the next key stage in the process. The Inspectors have now asked that consultation be carried out on Main Modifications which may be necessary in order for the Local Plans to be found ‘sound’, although this should not imply that they have come to any firm conclusions on the soundness of the Plans with or without these modifications.

The Councils are therefore consulting on the Main Modifications identified by the Inspectors and the associated Sustainability Appraisal of the Main Modifications. At the same time the Councils have published some Additional (minor) Modifications, such as typographical errors and factual updates.

For details of where you can view the consultation documents and how to submit comments see here or alternatively websites:

www.cambridge.gov.uk/mainmods or www.scambs.gov.uk/mainmods

What can you make comments on?

The Main Modifications Consultation Report explains the purpose of the consultation and includes schedules of modifications for each Local Plan. The modifications identify specific changes to the wording of the Local Plans submitted in March 2014 or to the associated Policies Maps; the modifications contained in the consultation document need to be read alongside the Local Plans:

• Cambridge Local Plan: www.cambridge.gov.uk/local-plan-review
• South Cambridgeshire Local Plan: www.scambs.gov.uk/localplan

This consultation does not repeat the consultations already carried out on the Proposed Submission Local Plans in Summer 2013 and the Proposed Modifications Joint Consultation in December 2015. As a result this consultation does not include modifications that have previously been consulted upon, unless that modification has been further amended subsequently. Where such amended modifications are included in this consultation, comments are only invited on the new parts of the modifications (bold text) and not earlier parts of modifications that have previously been consulted on. The ‘provisional’ modification from 2015 to allocate land south of Cambridge Biomedical Campus for employment development is included in this consultation, with revisions.

Any comments that go beyond commenting on the Main Modifications or the accompanying Sustainability Appraisal will not be registered.

What happens next?

The Inspectors will consider all the registered comments and decide whether any further hearings are required, or any issues need to be revisited. At the end of the examination process they will present their final conclusions in their Reports into the examination of each Local Plan. If the plans are found ‘sound’, with any necessary modifications, they would be able to be adopted by the Councils.

We will be in touch again shortly with more information about this and other dates for your diaries,

Best wishes,

Wendy

Wendy Blythe