Thanet District Council will be consulting on proposed modifications to its Local Plan 2011-2031 from today (December 11) until Monday, January 27, 2020.
Thanet’s draft Local Plan 2011-2031 – a blueprint for housing and infrastructure across the isle – has been progressing with hearings held by the Planning Inspectorate between April and July following submission in October 2018.
The plan sets out how much development is needed to support the future population and economy. Transport, employment and infrastructure -such as roads, schools and GP surgeries – are also examined in the plan.
Some changes (referred to as ‘modifications’) are now being proposed by the Planning Inspectors to the draft Local Plan – including a reduction in the number of houses built over the next five years and the setting of a policy for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation.
Some of the main modifications include: A new policy on the review of the Local Plan; Recognition of the DCO process on the Manston airport site; Amendment to the affordable housing policy. Reducing the number of homes to be built to 3,000 in the next five years – the draft plan had indicated 6,000 homes to be built between 2021 and 2026 – and a policy to set out the need for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation
The list of proposed ‘main modifications’ can be found at https://www.thanet.gov.uk/info-pages/consultations/ with a representation form for responses. All representations made will be taken into account by the Inspectors and included in their Report and Recommendations. The Inspectors have already considered comments submitted between August and October 2018 so there is no need to make these again.
Hard copies of the main modifications and related documents can be found at the Thanet Gateway. The consultation closes at 5pm on January 27.
This marks one of the final stages of the Examination of the Local Plan 2011-2031, which ends with the Planning Inspectorate’s report to council, which will set out any further modifications that the plan requires. The council will then be in a position to adopt the Local Plan 2011-2031 in the Spring.
