Have your say on proposals for AONB housing and employment sites
Residents are being invited to have their say on a draft development plan for housing and employment sites in the Arnside and Silverdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Lancaster City Council is working with South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) on a dedicated plan that will guide development in the AONB.
Hundreds of people have already had their say in consultations and drop-in events held at the end of 2015 and then a further round of consultation that ended in May this year.
These consultations invited residents’ views on issues including potential sites for housing to meet local need or areas that need special protection.
Now, Lancaster City Council and SLDC have developed a draft development plan taking into account these comments. The draft plan sets out the proposed sites for development or protection and outlines the planning policies for the AONB that will guide any development that takes place in the future.
The draft plan sets out a vision that within the Arnside and Silverdale AONB, housing, employment, services, infrastructure and other development is managed and delivered in a way that contributes towards meeting the needs of the communities of the AONB and that it:
• Creates vibrant, diverse and sustainable communities with a strong sense of place;
• Maintains a thriving local economy; and
• Protects, conserves and enhances the special qualities of the AONB, including landscape character and visual amenity, wildlife, geology, heritage and settlements’ character.
Residents are being invited to take a look at the draft plan at a new round of consultation events, being held in the six main communities in the AONB, to enable people to ask questions and discuss the draft document with council officers and members of the AONB management team.
The public consultation events will take place at the following locations. All these events will take place between 2pm and 7pm:
• Wednesday, 23 November – Heron Hall, Storth
• Thursday, 24 November – Gaskell Hall, Silverdale
• Monday, 28 November – Heron Theatre, Beetham
• Wednesday, 30 November – Village Hall, Yealand
• Monday, 5 December – Educational Institute, Arnside
• Wednesday, 7 December – Village Hall, Warton
Anyone who is unable to get along to the events can still have their say. Comments on the draft plan are being invited between Thursday, 10 November 2016 and the deadline of 5pm on Tuesday, 3 January 2017.
Comments can be made by using the online consultation response at http://applications.southlakeland.gov.uk/ldfconsultation/
Anyone that doesn’t have access to the website can contact Lancaster City Council Planning Policy Team to request a response form. These forms can also be picked up from any of the consultation events or one of the locations listed below and can be returned to the council by email or post.
The draft development plan and other associated information can be viewed at the following locations, during normal opening hours:
• Arnside & 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
• The Silverdale Hotel, Shore Road, Silverdale LA5 0TP
The documents may also be viewed on both the Lancaster City Council and SLDC websites and the Arnside and Silverdale AONB website:
• www.lancaster.gov.uk/localplan
• www.southlakeland.gov.uk
• www.arnsidesilverdaleaonb.org.uk
For any further information, visit the websites, or contact either if the councils’ development plans teams:
Lancaster City Council
Email: planningpolicy@lancaster.gov.uk
Tel: 01524 582383
Write to: Planning Policy Team, PO Box 4, Town Hall, Dalton Square, Lancaster, LA1 1PJ
South Lakeland District Council
Email: developmentplans@southlakeland.gov.uk
Tel: 01539 793388
Write to: Development Plans Team, South Lakeland House, Lowther Street, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4DQ
Last updated: 10 November 2016