Extra chance to have your say on AONB Development Plan

Residents are being given another opportunity to comment on sites proposed for inclusion in the future Arnside and Silverdale Development Plan.

Lancaster City Council is working with South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) on a dedicated Development Plan for the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Around 300 people took part in a consultation held before Christmas, where the councils sought views on the Issues and Options for the plan to consider, including potential sites for development or protection. Many also attended drop-in events held as part of the consultation. 

Now, Lancaster City Council and SLDC are asking residents to consider additional sites put forward through that consultation.

It may not be possible to take into account any further site suggestions in preparing the draft plan, but the upcoming consultation will ask for views on the suitability of the additional sites suggested during the early consultation.

Maps of the sites can be viewed on either of the councils’ websites, at www.southlakeland.gov.uk or www.lancaster.gov.uk, on the Arnside and Silverdale AONB website, www.arnesidesilverdaleaonb.org.uk, and at the following locations, during normal opening hours:

·         Arnside and Silverdale AONB Offices, The Old Station Building, Arnside, LA5 0HG

·         South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal, LA9 4DL

·         Customer Service Centre, Town Hall, Marine Road East, Morecambe, LA4 5AF

·         Libraries in Arnside, Carnforth, Kendal, Milnthorpe, Silverdale

A consultation period for the additional sites will run from today, Tuesday 29 March, until 5 pm on Tuesday, 3 May, 2016.

The plan will form part of both authorities’ Local Plans. It will identify sites for new housing and employment to meet local needs and will set out planning policies to ensure that development reflects the AONB designation.

Parish councils and the AONB Partnership have been closely involved in the preparation of the Development Plan so far.

Visit http://applications.southlakeland.gov.uk/ldfconsultation/ to complete a response online, email developmentplans@southlakeland.gov.uk or call 01539 793388 for more information. An electronic response form is also available on the councils’ websites.

Alternatively, you can collect a paper response form from any of the locations listed above.

The consultation follows on from a housing needs survey, carried out by Cumbria Rural Housing Trust in 2014, to identify what housing is needed in the Arnside and Silverdale AONB, for example if an area is particularly in need of more affordable housing.

Last updated: 29 March 2016