Councils consider county growth vision

Harborough District Council is one of several local authorities in Leicestershire required to consider the Strategic Growth Plan which puts forward proposals for housing and other infrastructure needed to support population growth until 2050.

On 10 December 2018, Harborough District Council voted to approve the Plan. The eight other councils in Leicestershire, including the County Council, have also approved or are considering the Plan.

At the meeting, councillors added some additional views on the Plan, as they approved it, which they said would help the partner councils of Leicester and Leicestershire going forward. For example, the need for supporting transport infrastructure and the ongoing need to ensure that the housing numbers in the Plan are reviewed and monitored and kept up to date as new data and information emerges.

The Plan, once agreed by all partner Councils, will inform Local Plans and give local authorities more control over planning matters.  It will also help to protect and enhance local environmental assets, promote economic prosperity, and ensure the Harborough district benefits from funding, facilities and infrastructure.

Councillor Phil King, Harborough District Council’s portfolio holder for Planning, Housing and Regeneration, said: “It is important for our residents that we are feeding into this Plan and influencing its development. This isn’t the end of the process. This is an evolving document and we will continue to monitor and review this Plan as more information becomes available to us and as evaluations are completed.”

The Plan has been developed by a partnership made up of Leicester City and Leicestershire County councils, the seven local borough and district authorities and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP).

It will be used to support bids to Government for funding to deliver the infrastructure needed to support growth included within the Plan.

Residents were asked for their views on the draft Strategic Growth Plan earlier this year.

More information about the Strategic Growth Plan at www.llstrategicgrowthplan.org.uk  

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Recommendations made at the meeting in full:

2.1 That Executive recommends to Council that the Strategic Growth Plan (SGP) “Leicester and Leicestershire 2050: Our Vision for Growth” be approved; and

2.2  That Council be recommended to approve that the Chief Executive (or equivalent) of each SGP partner authority, following consultation with the Leader of that authority and the Joint Strategic Planning Manager, be authorised to agree, prior to publication, any final minor amendments to the SGP which do not significantly change the overall content or purpose of the document, and

2.3 That the Council notes the following:

a)  If the A46 Expressway is not delivered the SGP will be reviewed and an alternative distribution of growth considered.

b)  The housing numbers in the SGP are ‘notional estimates’ and not authoritative.  The amount of houses required will be determined by the Council’s subsequent Local Plan(s) based on up-to-date evidence of housing need at the time and informed by agreements with other authorities.  The SGP will act as a guide to subsequent Local Plans.

c)  National Policy requires authorities with a shortage of land, to meet as much of the identified need for housing as possible - This will be tested robustly at examination.  It is important that any authority identifies, quantifies and robustly evidences any unmet needs.  No stone should be left unturned in seeking to find appropriate sites and capacity must be maximised particularly in built-up areas where there is an opportunity for higher density development.

d)  The Council will ensure that development is sustainable and that the environment is appropriately protected through subsequent Local Plans which will determine the amount and location of development.

e)  The impact of the proposed infrastructure (including the A46 Expressway) must be considered early and improvements to the wider road network identified. Meaningful improvements to sustainable travel and public transport must be considered, along with other road improvements which should not be limited to the radial routes into/out of the City.

f)  The Council must be appropriately represented at meetings/groups which influence the delivery and routing of strategic infrastructure, including the A46 Expressway and the A5 improvements.   

g)  Further stakeholder consultation on important strategic matters will be undertaken.