Hockley Area Action Plan - Issues and Options

Thank you for inviting us to comment on the Hockley AAP Issue and Options Document. The document is easy to read and comprehend. The format and presentation are logical.

On points of accuracy:

The reference, on page 51, to the East of England Plan is out-of-date. The East of England Plan requires 508,000 net additional dwellings over the period to 2021, not 421,500 as stated.

The Glossary on page 57 includes a reference to English Nature. That organisation is now incorporated within Natural England.

Making progress under a revised PPS12

Last year, CLG revised PPS12 and published revised regulations. The revisions are intended to streamline the plan-making process, helping to ensure that preparation of DPDs can happen as quickly as possible, whilst ensuring that public participation is effective and its results fully taken into account.

The revisions provide local planning authorities with greater freedom to determine the most appropriate way to prepare or revise DPDs. There is now more flexibility, especially in terms of consultation on the DPD during the preparation phase of the plan, which is expected to be proportionate to the scale of the issues involved. As well as this, the regulations now require that consultation and representations are made on a DPD before submission to the Secretary of State.

You should refer to the new PPS in taking forward this DPD, but essentially you will need to comply with the following principles in the PPS on:

Participation and stakeholders (see section 4.20, 4.25 and 4.27);
Not repeating national and regional policy (4.30);
Being subject to a sustainability appraisal (4.39-4.42);
Being justified, effective and consistent with national policy (4.36 and 4.44) and
Being prepared in a timely and efficient manner according to the timetable set out in the LDS (see section 4.53 and 4.54)

Further guidance is provided in the Plan Making Manual which may be accessed via the Planning Advisory Service's website: www.pas.gov.uk/planmakingmanual.

The DPD must be prepared in accordance with the Local Development Scheme and in compliance with the Statement of Community Involvement and the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 as amended, be subject to a sustainability appraisal, have regard to national policy and any sustainable community strategy for the area and conform to the RSS. To be sound, the DPD should be justified (founded on a robust and credible evidence base, and be the most appropriate strategy when considered against the reasonable alternatives), effective (the document must be deliverable, flexible and be able to be monitored) and consistent with national policy.

The key consideration before drafting the final DPD, is to be satisfactorily in an appropriate and proportionate manner in relation to the issues arising in respect of this particular DPD.

I trust these comments are useful, however, if you need to discuss any matters further please do not hesitate to contact me. My telephone number is at the top of this letter.

Thank you for inviting us to comment on the Hockley AAP Issue and Options Document. The document is easy to read and comprehend. The format and presentation are logical.

On points of accuracy:

The reference, on page 51, to the East of England Plan is out-of-date. The East of England Plan requires 508,000 net additional dwellings over the period to 2021, not 421,500 as stated.

The Glossary on page 57 includes a reference to English Nature. That organisation is now incorporated within Natural England.

Making progress under a revised PPS12

Last year, CLG revised PPS12 and published revised regulations. The revisions are intended to streamline the plan-making process, helping to ensure that preparation of DPDs can happen as quickly as possible, whilst ensuring that public participation is effective and its results fully taken into account.

The revisions provide local planning authorities with greater freedom to determine the most appropriate way to prepare or revise DPDs. There is now more flexibility, especially in terms of consultation on the DPD during the preparation phase of the plan, which is expected to be proportionate to the scale of the issues involved. As well as this, the regulations now require that consultation and representations are made on a DPD before submission to the Secretary of State.

You should refer to the new PPS in taking forward this DPD, but essentially you will need to comply with the following principles in the PPS on:

Participation and stakeholders (see section 4.20, 4.25 and 4.27);
Not repeating national and regional policy (4.30);
Being subject to a sustainability appraisal (4.39-4.42);
Being justified, effective and consistent with national policy (4.36 and 4.44) and
Being prepared in a timely and efficient manner according to the timetable set out in the LDS (see section 4.53 and 4.54)

Further guidance is provided in the Plan Making Manual which may be accessed via the Planning Advisory Service's website: www.pas.gov.uk/planmakingmanual.

The DPD must be prepared in accordance with the Local Development Scheme and in compliance with the Statement of Community Involvement and the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 as amended, be subject to a sustainability appraisal, have regard to national policy and any sustainable community strategy for the area and conform to the RSS. To be sound, the DPD should be justified (founded on a robust and credible evidence base, and be the most appropriate strategy when considered against the reasonable alternatives), effective (the document must be deliverable, flexible and be able to be monitored) and consistent with national policy.

The key consideration before drafting the final DPD, is to be satisfactorily in an appropriate and proportionate manner in relation to the issues arising in respect of this particular DPD.

I trust these comments are useful, however, if you need to discuss any matters further please do not hesitate to contact me. My telephone number is at the top of this letter.