Have your Say on the Local Plan
Added at 17:37 on 01 August 2024
Residents, community groups, local businesses, and others with an interest in the borough are invited to give their views on the new Hinckley and Bosworth Local Plan in a consultation which begins at 9am on Wednesday 31 July 2024.
The Local Plan is the key planning document for the borough that will guide future development in Hinckley and Bosworth up to 2041. The Plan sets out where and how housing and economic growth should take place and includes a range of development sites.
The requirement for a Local Plan is set out in national planning policy setting out that the planning system should be plan-led and that succinct and up to date plans should provide a positive vision for the future of each area; a framework for meeting housing needs and addressing other economic, social and environmental priorities; and a platform for local people to shape their surroundings.
The Plan also includes planning policies that would be used to manage important issues such as conserving and enhancing the natural and historic environment, transport, good design and responding to the challenges of climate change. The policies will be used to guide development and respond to economic, environmental, and social issues within the borough. The Local Plan must meet government set targets for development, with the Regulation 18 Plan proposing to deliver over 13,000 dwellings by 2041.
The council has continued its work on progressing its Local Plan after consultation on a submission draft of the Plan published in February 2022. Since then, the Borough Council has been reviewing and updating the document to respond to comments received from the most recent consultation. Planning officers have worked closely with external partners to ensure the Plan reflects national and county wide changes, and revisiting the evidence base to ensure that it is up to date for the Plan period up to 2041. Now the public is being asked to give their views on the latest draft Local Plan and supporting documents, as part of what is known as a Regulation 18 consultation.
Councillor Bill Crooks, Executive Member for Planning at the Borough Council said: “I encourage all residents, local businesses, and stakeholders to engage with the Local Plan consultation over the next eight weeks. Progressing the new Local Plan is necessary for the borough to ensure that development is planned to 2041 through suitable site allocations. Advancing the Local Plan through the stages will then add greater weight in decision making, allowing the Council to defend its policies and allocations from unplanned, speculative developments.”
Members of the public and businesses are invited to attend consultation events scheduled across the borough where planning officers will be available to answer questions, discuss views and provide advice on how to submit comments. There is no requirement to book onto these in-person events, which will be hosted at the following locations:
· Newbold Verdon Library: Thursday 15 August 2024, time: 4 - 7pm
· Earl Shilton Library (upper level): Tuesday 20 August, 2 - 5pm
· The Methodist Church, 31 Station Road, Ratby: Thursday 22 August 2024, 4 - 7pm
· Hollycroft School, Hinckley: Wednesday 4 September 2024, 4 - 7pm
· Higham on the Hill Methodist Church: Wednesday 4 September 2024, 4 - 7pm
· The Black Horse, Market Bosworth: Saturday 14 September 2024, 10am - 12:30pm
· Millennium Hall, Burbage: Saturday 14 September 2024, 2 - 4:30pm
· Hinckley Hub, Hinckley: Wednesday 18 September 2024, time: 4 - 7pm
Officers will also be available via Microsoft Teams on Wednesday 18 September 2024 between 4 - 7pm, however residents and businesses will be required to book onto this event in advance to secure a slot and to gain access.
For further details on the consultation and events, or to book onto our virtual consultation event, go to https://www.hinckley-bosworth.gov.uk/reg18
Alternatively, printed copies of the document will be available at all libraries within the borough, at the council offices (Hinckley Hub), and can be viewed by contacting Parish Councils, all of whom will receive a printed copy.
The consultation will run for over eight weeks until 5pm on 27 September 2024.
Once this latest consultation has taken place, all comments will be reviewed, and any further changes required will be made in preparation for the final consultation stage before the Plan is submitted to a Government Planning Inspector for independent examination.
The proposed timetable allows the council to meet the previous government’s deadline to produce and submit the Local Plan for Examination by 30 June 2025. Once it has completed this process and is adopted, it will form the council’s future framework for decision making on all planning applications.