Further feedback invited on Local Plan

The new Local Plan will set out planning policies in the district up to 2031. It will make sure development meets the council’s strategic priorities in terms of housing, employment, community facilities, transport and other infrastructure needed to support development.

In September last year, Harborough District Council held a public consultation to seek feedback on Local Plan options. The aim is to ensure any development in the district meets strategic needs, balancing housing and business requirements and locations. This included various options for more large scale warehousing at or adjoining the Magna Park site. It also consulted on an accompanying interim Sustainability Appraisal (SA).

Related to this, the council is now seeking public views on a second Interim Sustainability Appraisal report which looks in more detail at the options for large-scale warehousing. It assesses their likely effects on the economy, communities and the environment, including what this kind of development could mean for new housing and its broader implications for Leicester and Leicestershire, as well as other neighbouring areas. 

Responses received during this consultation will feed into and complement responses to last September’s options consultation.

It is important to note that this consultation is not directly related to current planning applications, but rather seeks public feedback on the SA report which will inform the preparation of the Local Plan for the district up to 2031.

The public will be able to make comments on the SA and, in light of this, comment further on the various options for large warehousing via the council’s website at www.harborough.gov.uk/consultation until the deadline of Wednesday 16 March 2016.

Those without internet access are invited to complete the consultation using the computers in The Symington Building.

Footnote:

Sustainability Appraisal (SA) is a process that involves the systematic identification and evaluation of the potential impacts of high-level Strategic Planning related decision making, an is an important part of plan-making. SA is also a tool for communicating the likely effects of a plan, programme or strategy (and any reasonable alternatives), explaining the decisions taken with regard to the approach decided upon, and encouraging engagement from key stakeholders such as local communities, businesses and other interested parties.  

SA is a legal requirement, but more importantly it helps to inform the development of a more sustainable Local Plan, by highlighting the constraints and opportunities that the Plan (and any alternative spatial strategies) may have.

The Council has commissioned professional consultants AECOM to undertake SA of the Local Plan; ensuring robust and independent assessment of the local plan as it develops.