Local Plan hearings set to begin

Proposals which will shape how Lancaster district develops in the future go under the spotlight in April with a series of local hearing sessions.

Every planning authority must produce a Local Plan, which is a blueprint for which sites in the area can be developed and is the starting point for assessing the merits of individual planning applications. 

The Local Plan for the Lancaster District was submitted in May 2018 and sets out where sites for new housing and employment will be built to help create up to 12,000 homes and potentially 9,500 new jobs.  

Before it can be formally adopted it must be independently examined by a Government appointed planning inspector. 
  
As part of this process the inspector holds local hearing sessions, which provide the inspector with the opportunity to seek clarification or additional information to help him determine if the Local Plan has been soundly prepared.

If the inspector decides that the Local Plan has been soundly prepared he will recommend that the council can formally adopt the plan.  They will usually also recommend Local Plan modifications to the council. 

Hearings will take place over nine days from Tuesday April 9 at Morecambe Town Hall (except April 10 when The Storey in Lancaster is the venue).

Only those invited by the inspector to speak may do so but members of the public are welcome to attend any of the hearing sessions to listen to the discussions. Each session starts at 10am.

Coun Janice Hanson, Cabinet member with responsibility for regeneration and planning, said: “The Local Plan sets out a strong vision for the future and one which I believe will enable people to thrive and prosper, wherever they live in the district. Communities and developers will have greater certainty about where development will happen and we will also be in a much stronger position to influence where infrastructure, such as roads and schools, need to be provided, and to negotiate with developers for affordable housing and open space within developments.”

The programme officer for the examination is Kim Russell, whose role is to assist the inspector with the conduct of the examination, including liaison with all the examination’s participants.

For all matters concerning the examination please contact Kim in the first instance: 

•         Email: programmeofficer@lancaster.gov.uk  
•         Telephone: 01539 728198 
•         Mobile: 07442 162039 
•         Post: Programme Officer, 6 Laurel Gardens, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6FE 

More information on the Local Plan and the examination hearings can be found on our Local Plan pages.

Last updated: 27 February 2019