PreSubmission Front green Hi ResPage 1 11/02/2014 14:11:51 Cheshire East Local Plan Local Plan Strategy Statement of Consultation (Regulation 22) C M Y CM MY CY May 2014 CMY K Chapters 1 Introduction 2 2 The Regulations 4 3 Core Strategy Issues and Options Paper (2010) 6 4 Place Shaping (2011) 11 5 Rural Issues (2011) 17 6 Minerals Issues Discussion Paper (2012) 21 7 Town Strategies Phase 1 (2012) 27 8 Wilmslow Vision (Town Strategies Phase 2) (2012) 30 9 Town Strategies Phase 3 (2012) 32 10 Development Strategy and Policy Principles (2013) 36 11 Possible Additional Sites (2013) 43 12 Pre-Submission Core Strategy and Non-Preferred Sites (2013) 46 13 Local Plan Strategy - Submission Version (2014) 52 14 Next Steps 58 Appendices A Consultation Stages 60 B List of Bodies and Persons Invited to Make Representations 63 C Pre-Submission Core Strategy Main Issues and Council's Responses 72 D Non-Preferred Sites Main Issues and Council's Reponses 80 E Local Plan Strategy - Submisson Version Main Issues 87 F Statement of Representations Procedure 90 G List of Media Coverage for All Stages 92 H Cheshire East Local Plan Strategy - Submission Version: List of Inadmissible Representations 103 Contents CHESHIRE EAST Local Plan Strategy Statement of Consultation (Reg 22): May 2014 1 1 Introduction 1.1 This Statement of Consultation sets out the details of publicity and consultation undertaken to prepare and inform the Cheshire East Local Plan Strategy. It sets out how the Local Planning Authority has complied with Regulations 18, 19, 20 and 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning)(England) Regulations 2012 in the preparation of the Local Plan Strategy (formerly known as the Core Strategy). 1.2 From the beginning of the process the Council have made extensive effort to engage relevant agencies and the public in the formulation and refinement of planning policies and proposals. At each stage of the Local Plan Strategy preparation process the Council have adhered to the standards for consultation set out in the Council's Statement of Community Involvement,(1) as well as that established through Government legislation and guidance, and in fact gone beyond those requirements, as illustrated in Appendix A of this document. This has included publicising the consultations, inviting representations to be submitted and using the comments received to identify and address key issues through the preparation of the Local Plan Strategy. 1.3 This Statement will summarise the steps that have been taken to publicise, consult and engage with all the consultation bodies at each preparation stage of the Local Plan Strategy, how this meets or exceeds the Council's Statement of Community Involvement and how it meets legislative requirements. It will also summarise the main issues raised by the representations and detail how those representations have been addressed through the Local Plan Strategy. 1.4 For the purposes of this Statement it should be noted that the preparation of the Local Plan Strategy spanned two planning frameworks; initially that of the Local Development Framework (LDF), which latterly became the Local Plan following changes to national Government policies and the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework in 2012. 1.5 Consultation that was undertaken under the LDF system is applicable to the preparation of the Local Plan and so this Statement will cover that consultation also. 1.6 There have been a number of stages in the development of the Local Plan Strategy. The consultation stages and associated evidence base collected to support the Local Plan Strategy has allowed the Council to develop a greater understanding of the issues and opportunities that exist in Cheshire East. Responses received during each previous consultation stage have been considered and changes made to the overall approach to the Local Plan Strategy as and when considered appropriate. The key stages in the development of the Local Plan Strategy are set out in Figure 1.1. 1 http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/planning/spatial_planning/cheshire_east_local_plan/community_involvement.aspx Introduction 2 CHESHIRE EAST Local Plan Strategy Statement of Consultation (Reg 22): May 2014 Figure 1.1 Key Stages in the Development of the Local Plan Strategy 1.7 Copies of the Council's Statement of Community Involvement, this Statement and all other published Local Plan documents are available on the Council's website at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/localplan. Introduction CHESHIRE EAST Local Plan Strategy Statement of Consultation (Reg 22): May 2014 3 2 The Regulations 2.1 This Statement has been produced in accordance with the requirement under Regulations 18, 19, 20 and 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (the Regulations) to publish a statement setting out: i. Which bodies and persons were invited to make representations under Regulation 18. ii. How those bodies and persons were invited to make representations under Regulation 18. iii. A summary of the main issues made by those representations under Regulation 18. iv. How those main issues have been addressed in the Local Plan Strategy. v. The number of representations made under Regulation 20 and a summary of the main issues raised in those representations. 2.2 The Regulations state that the Council, in its role as Local Planning Authority, must notify a range of agencies, organisations and individuals at each preparation stage of the Local Plan and invite them to make representations on its content. These representations must then be taken into consideration in the development of the Local Plan. 2.3 The bodies to be notified include those specific consultation bodies referred to in the Regulations, adjacent Authorities, Town and Parish Councils, representatives of the Local Strategic Partnership (Partnership for Action in Cheshire East)/Local Area Partnership, business interests and major landowners including developers and agents, infrastructure providers, interest groups and hard to reach groups. In addition the Council publicise each consultation stage and invite representations from the general public. 2.4 In Appendix B of this document there is a list of the bodies consulted on the preparation of the Local Plan Strategy; other bodies, for example Cheshire Local Nature Partnership, the Civil Aviation Authority and Manchester Airport, have been consulted through the Duty to Cooperate obligation introduced by the Localism Act (2011). Cheshire East's Duty to Cooperate Statement of Compliance can be found on the Council's website.(2) In addition private individuals who had expressed an interest in the Local Plan Strategy have been consulted at various stages, as well as local Councillors, other Council departments and other bodies including Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and North West Ambulance Service. There were 13,875 active consultees registered on the Council's Local Plan consultation database at the end of the Pre-Submission Core Strategy consultation. At the end of the Local Plan Strategy - Submission Version formal representation period 14,001 active consultees had registered on the consultation database. Statement of Community Involvement 2.5 The Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) sets out how Cheshire East Borough Council intends to involve all sectors of the community in the planning process. Both in the preparation of planning policy through the Local Development Framework (LDF) (now known as the Local Plan); and in the determination of planning applications. A draft SCI was consulted on between 23rd November 2009 and 18th January 2010 and the Statement was adopted on 14th October 2010. Regulations 2 http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/planning/spatial_planning/research_and_evidence.aspx The 4 CHESHIRE EAST Local Plan Strategy Statement of Consultation (Reg 22): May 2014 2.6 All consultation has been carried out in accordance with the Statement of Community Involvement, as illustrated in Appendix A of this document. A list of media coverage for the consultation stages undertaken as part of the preparation of the Local Plan Strategy can be found in Appendix G of this document. Regulations The CHESHIRE EAST Local Plan Strategy Statement of Consultation (Reg 22): May 2014 5 3 Core Strategy Issues and Options Paper (2010) 3.1 Cheshire East Council’s consultation on the Issues and Options for the Core Strategy took place between 8 November and 20 December 2010. In addition, Parish and Town Councils that requested extra time to enable them to make their submissions were given until 31 January 2011. Any other representations that were received during this period were also accepted. 3.2 The Issues and Options Paper set out options for the overall strategy for the future of the Borough and asked some fundamental questions about what Cheshire East should look like in 2030, how much growth should be included in the Core Strategy and where, in a broad sense, the development should be located. The document sets out a vision for the future of the Borough and included a number of strategic priorities for consultation. 3.3 The Core Strategy Issues and Options Paper also identified a number of strategic level issues and options for the future development of the Borough. The consultation on the Issues and Options Paper highlighted the need to provide a 'bottom up' understanding for the Principal Towns and Key Service Centres identified in the Determining the Settlement Hierarchy paper.(3) How stakeholders were invited to make representations 3.4 Stakeholders were invited by email or letter to make representations, with full details of the consultation being available on Cheshire East's website. Comments could be submitted on the consultation portal, by email or by post. 3.5 The consultation documents comprised the formal Core Strategy Issues and Options Paper, a Sustainability Appraisal, Habitats Regulations Assessment, a leaflet, a questionnaire and a poster, copies of which were made available for inspection at Cheshire East Council’s (2010) offices in Sandbach.