(8) Section Three - The Relationship of Documents in the Local Development Framework

3.1 The Local Development Framework (LDF) for the Rochford district is a ‘folder' containing a collection of Local Development Documents (LDDs) that set out the spatial plan for the Rochford district up to the year 2021. Individual LDDs will be reviewed and amended on a regular basis.

3.2 The Local Development Scheme (LDS) provides an up-to-date explanation of which LDDs the Council intends to produce and review, and when they will be available. The policies in the existing adopted Local Plan will remain in force for three years or until they are replaced by policies in Local Development Documents. Initially, these LDDs will cover the period from 2006 until 2021 (in line with the 2021 end date for the draft East of England Plan (RSS14)).

3.3 The Council will encourage full participation by the local community and other stakeholders in the creation of Local Development Documents. This commitment to community participation is set out in the Council's Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). The Council will monitor the implementation and production of Local Development Documents through an Annual Monitoring Report (AMR).

3.4 Copies of all the current documents are available on the Council's website http://www.rochford.gov.uk and in local libraries or from the Civic Suite in Rayleigh or the Council's Planning Offices in Rochford.

What is a Development Plan?

3.5 Some of the Local Development Documents in the LDF are known as "Development Plan Documents" because they are part of the statutory Development Plan. The statutory Development Plan for the Rochford district consists of:

• Draft East of England Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS14) [called the East of England Plan] – prepared by the East of England Assembly, it sets the strategic aims for spatial development across the whole region, including how much housing each authority must provide. This document has been the subject of an Examination in Public and is under consideration by the relevant Secretary of State;
• Development Plan Documents (DPDs) – prepared by Rochford District Council. These are required to be in conformity with RSS14; and
• Minerals and Waste DPDs – prepared by Essex County Council. They should also conform to RSS14.

Role of the Development Plan

3.6 The national planning system is described as being ‘plan-led' because Section 38 (6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires development control decisions to be made in accordance with particular policies in the Development Plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The material considerations could include national planning policy or significant local issues that have arisen since the Development Plan was prepared.

Relationship to Regional Spatial Strategy and Community Strategy

3.7 This Development Plan is in general conformity with the draft East of England Plan RSS14. It also has regard to the recently reviewed Community Strategy Plan approved by the Council in 2004. The following six sustainability principles in the Community Strategy Plan have been a major influence on the plan:

• To reduce both the level and the fear of crime and to make the District an even safer place for people to live in, work in or visit.
• To protect and enhance the natural and built environment for present and future generations.
• To enable all residents of the District to access high quality education, training and skills development opportunities to ensure a thriving local economy now and in the future.
• To improve and promote the social, physical and mental health of everyone in the District by providing a variety of choices for leisure and free time pursuits and first class healthcare.
• To improve people's ability to get across and around the District, not necessarily by private car.
• To promote active and responsible citizenship, creating a community inclusive of all groups, and enabling everyone to have the opportunity to fully participate in activities that improve their quality of life.

3.8 Taking the lead from the Community Strategy Plan, the principal aim of the plan is to promote sustainable development. This plan has been written to facilitate monitoring of its policies and proposals, with the intention of reviewing its outputs against agreed sustainability criteria.

Using the Local Development Framework for the Rochford District

3.9 The set of Development Plan Documents include:

Core Strategy

Sets out the spatial vision for the area over a fifteen-year period from 2006, together with key spatial objectives and strategic policies. This document will help readers to understand the Council's long-term spatial planning intentions. A Key Diagram illustrates the main principles underlying the Core Strategy;

Proposals Map with Inset Maps

Shows site-specific allocations, area action plans and other designations and constraints. Users should use the maps to check what proposals, designations or constraints are operating and proposed in particular areas of the district;

Allocations

Contains area and site-specific proposals for new development relating to the Core Strategy. These allocations are shown on the Proposals Map;

Development Control policies

A set of development control policies that apply across the whole authority area;

Area Action Plans

Show the areas of the district where significant development (including regeneration or conservation) are planned to occur. A Joint Area Action Plan covering land to the west of Rochford is programmed in the current draft Local Development Scheme. A further Area Action Plan for Foulness and Surrounding MoD Land is listed for preparation post 2010. These areas will be shown on the Proposals Map;

Supplementary Planning Documents

Contain policies, proposals and other details that amplify the content of the documents mentioned above. These documents are statutory but are not part of the Development Plan.

Avoiding Duplication

3.10 One of the primary reasons for changing the planning system was to reduce the size of the documents involved by avoiding duplication between local and national standards. This Core Strategy follows this premise. As sustainable development, general green belt policy and development in flood risk areas, for example, are covered by central government guidance, there is no need for the Council to repeat these policies in its own part of the development plan.

3.11 Instead, the Core Strategy concentrates on areas where there is a need for reflect national guidance on a particular local characteristic or issue, or where there is no applicable national or regional steer. The Core Strategy is also to be regarded as the most strategic document in the LDF and it therefore is not intended to be site specific.

Notes:

3.12 The District Council will use the relevant policies in all of the above Local Development Documents and the Rochford District Replacement Local Plan (until it is replaced) when offering advice and considering planning proposals. Thus, a suggestion for the use or development of land may be consistent with one policy in one particular Development Plan Document, but it may also be affected by other policies in the Local Development Framework.

3.13 Anyone wishing to submit or comment upon planning applications is strongly advised to consult the general policies in the LDF on matters such as design, access, parking, and landscaping as well as specific policies and proposals. Wherever possible, the policies and proposals in the Development Plan Documents are worded in a positive manner to accord with government and advice.