Local authorities are required to prepare a Core Strategy as one of their Development Plan Documents (DPDs). This must set out the vision, objectives and spatial strategy for the City. It should be integrated with Derby’s Community Strategy, giving a spatial dimension to its themes and priorities. It should also reflect other key strategies, such as the Council’s Housing Strategy and Local Transport Plan. All subsequent DPDs and Supplementary Planning Documnets (SPDs) will have to be in conformity with this Core Strategy.
The Adopted City of Derby Local Plan Review already contains some strategic policies of the type that will be found in a Core Strategy DPD and these will act as a core strategy in the interim period.
Some work began on the Core Strategy in September 2005. However, the initail programme was reviewed following decisions by the Planning Inspectorate that have found submitted Core Strategies in other authorities to be ‘unsound’. It has become apparent that the requirements for developing the evidence base, generating issues and testing options before Preferred Options stage are much more demanding than initially thought.
As the document also needs to be in conformity with the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) Review, proposals cannot be firmed up until that process has been completed. We are therefore concentrating on evidence gathering, issues and options generation throughout 2008.
Derby is part of the Derby Housing Market Area as defined in the RSS along with South Derbyshire and Amber Valley. We are working very closely with these adjoining Councils who are also preparing Core Strategies. A collaborative approach is being taken, with coordination of plan-making timetables, joint evidence gathering and alignment of policies.
The current LDS programme envisages submission to the Secretary of State in March 2009, the Examination in September 2009 and adoption in June 2010. This may however need to be further reviewed in the light of delays with the RSS review and the implications of recently revised Government guidance on Core Strategies.
For more information on the preparation of this document, including the full timetable, please refer to the Local Development Scheme. If you wish to speak to a member of staff please telephone Sheila Mitchell on 01332 255076 or e-mail derby.ldf@derby.gov.uk.
Core Strategy Sustainability Appraisal
In order to comply with the requirements of the European Union Directive and to ensure that all plans and policies are prepared in line with the principles of sustainable development, the Core Strategy must be subject to a Sustainability Appraisal (SA). The objective of the SA is to assess the potential effects of the plans policies on the environmental, social and economic character of the area which the plan influences. The Scoping Report is the first stage of the Sustainability Appraisal process.
Scoping Report: Consultation
A draft Scoping Report has been prepared for a five week period of consultation from Thursday 31 July – Friday 5 September 2008:
The preparation of this Report has been carried out in accordance with the guidance published by the former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in the document “Sustainability Appraisal of Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Documents” (http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/sustainabilityappraisal). The guidance outlines the stages that should be followed to produce the SA report and how the process relates to the preparation of the Core Strategy DPD itself.
In accordance with this guidance we are directly seeking the views of statutory bodies, other relevant organisations and internal departments to ensure the appraisal covers the key sustainability issues. The views of other interested parties are also welcomed. Consultation responses will be used, if necessary to modify the SA Framework and objectives
Task A5, pages 51-52, provides background to the consultation. We would be grateful if Consultees could seek in their responses to address the questions posed in this part of the document.
Please email your comments, by Friday 5 September 2008 to sonia.ray@derby.gov.uk, or post them to Sonia Ray, Principal Planning Officer, Plans and Policies, Roman House, Friar Gate, Derby DE1 1XB.
If you have any queries regarding the consultation process or the Scoping Report itself then please contact Sonia Ray on 01332 255018 or Andrew Waterhouse on 01332 255023.