Whilst the Council's Preferred Option of focusing the majority of development in the district's principal settlements is acknowledged as being in accordance with national guidance, the Council has not provided any evidence to demonstrate whether the Option is achievable. More specifically, the Council have not updated their Urban Capacity Study to establish whether capacity exists within the district's principal settlements to accommodate 90% of the forecast development, or whether it will be necessary to make more use of settlements to the east of the district or release land from the Green Belt.

In addition, the Council have not identified when, or how, essential infrastructure improvements required to support future development within the district's principal settlements will be achieved.

Therefore, the Council's Preferred Option is not based on local evidence and only reflects national and regional objectives. Given that it is understood that the Council's Urban Capacity Study - the findings of which are essential to guiding future development within the district - is shortly to be finalised, the publication of the Preferred Options is both premature and prejudicial and denies members of the public an opportunity to comment on Preferred Options that are based on credible evidence before they are submitted to the Secretary of State for consideration.