1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 PURPOSE AND STATUS OF THE LOCAL PLAN 1.1.1 The Allerdale Local Plan has been prepared as a Statutory Local Plan in accordance with the procedures contained in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 as amended by the Planning and Compensation Act 1991 and the Town and Country Planning (Development Plan) Regulations 1991. 1.1.2 The Local Plan contains the Borough Council's planning policies and proposals for the use and development of land for the period 1996-2006, and covers all of the Borough outside the Lake District National Park. Figure 1. Borough of Allerdale Local Plan Area 1 1.1.3 The Adopted Allerdale Local Plan constitutes part of the Development Plan for the area together with: (i) The Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan 1991-2006. (ii) The Cumbria Coal Local Plan, to be replaced by the Cumbria Minerals and Waste Local Plan (in preparation) in due course. 1.1.4 The Allerdale Local Plan replaces two existing statutory Local Plans: (i) The Northern Allerdale Local Plan adopted in January 1993, covering the towns of Wigton, Silloth, Aspatria and their surrounding rural areas. (ii) The Southern Allerdale Local Plan also adopted in January 1993, covering the towns of Workington and Seaton, Maryport and Cockermouth and their surrounding rural areas. These two Local Plans have an end-date of 1996 and so it is right that the Borough Council as the Local Planning Authority should be replacing them. Furthermore, the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 makes the preparation of district-wide local plans mandatory for all areas. 1.1.5 The Local Plan sets out detailed policies and specific proposals for the development and use of land and will guide most day to day planning decisions. The status of Local Plans has been enhanced by the introduction, through the Planning and Compensation Act 1991, of Section 54A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. This Section requires that decisions on the control of development should accord with the Development Plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Therefore, the Allerdale Local Plan, together with the County Structure Plan and any other relevant Local Plan, is an important document, which provides an essential framework for decision making. 1.1.6 The Local Plan plays an essential role in ensuring that the planning system provides: (i) Guidance, to help people plan the use of their land with confidence, and to help Local Planning Authorities to make decisions in the public interest; (ii) Incentive, in that by allocating land for particular types of development Local Planning Authorities may stimulate that development; and (iii) Control, which ensures that developers cannot ultimately impose change, which would be against the public interest and that the community can have their views considered. It also ensures that all infrastructure development, which takes place, is in the public interest and is based upon the views of the community. 1.2 THE LOCAL PLAN PROCESS 1.2.1 This Local Plan has been prepared according to the requirements of the 1990 Act (as amended) and the 1991 Regulations, and has followed the guidance contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 12 "Development Plans and Regional Planning Guidance". 1.2.2 At the outset the Borough Council took the decision not to prepare and publish a full "Consultation Draft" of the Local Plan, as the two existing adopted Local Plans had only comparatively recently been on formal Deposit and a one-off consultation of that sort was not considered appropriate. Instead, the Borough Council decided to prepare a series of Topic and Settlement Papers for consultation purposes. These were prepared in 1994/5/6 and circulated to consultees as required by the regulations but also to a wide range of other local bodies and organisations. This approach is in accordance with the new legislation and regulations and, indeed is encouraged by a recent Department of the Environment Consultation Paper and the 1992 "Development Plans: A Good Practice Guide". 1.2.3 These consultation papers included a number of objectives and principles which fed directly into the "Deposit" version of the Local Plan, taking into account any comments received from consultees. The contents of the consultation papers and this Deposit Version of the Local Plan were overseen and approved by a Panel of Allerdale Councillors, the same Councillors who were Members of the Borough Council's Planning Committee at that time. 2 1.2.4 The Local Plan was placed on formal deposit for six weeks in July/August 1997. Unresolved objections were heard at a public local inquiry in June/August 1998. The Inquiry Inspector’s report was received in January 1999 and in response to the Inspector’s recommendations, modifications were published in May/July 1999 and Further Modifications in August/October 1999. The Local Plan as modified, was adopted by the Council in November 1999. 1.3 THE POLICY CONTEXT OF THE LOCAL PLAN 1.3.1 A Local Plan is not prepared in a policy "vacuum". There are established National, Regional, County and local policies with which the Local Plan must conform. National Planning Guidance 1.3.2 The government controls the planning system by statute and regulation. The preparation and implementation of any Local Plan must follow the procedures laid down by this legislative framework. In addition, the government guides the content of Development Plans by setting out broad national planning policy in Planning Policy Guidance Notes, Circulars and Ministerial Statements. These give an indication of how the planning system is expected to deal with a wide range of land use planning issues and of how the Secretary of State for the Environment will reach decisions on planning issues coming before him/her. This Local Plan should conform to this guidance and reference is made throughout this document to the relevant guidance. Much recent national guidance has evolved from global concern for the environment. The findings of the "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro have resulted in the publication of "The UK Strategy for Sustainable Development" and have directly influenced Directives from the European Community and the guidance contained in P.P.G's. Also of relevance in the national context are White Papers such as “The Rural White Paper for England” published in 1996. Regional Planning Guidance 1.3.3 Cumbria is part of the North West Region. The Government Office for the North West has published broadly based Regional Planning Guidance (RPG), which this Local Plan is in line with. At the time of writing RPG is being reviewed under the auspices of the new North West Regional Assembly. Cumbria and Lake District Joint Structure Plan 1.3.4 The County Structure Plan provides the main strategic planning context for the Local Plan. The main principles of the Structure Plan are embodied in its first 10 policies, which seek to ensure that the social and economic needs of Cumbria's people are met but only in a way that does not damage the County's environment. It is therefore the County Councils ultimate aim that all future development should be sustainable in the long term. The Allerdale Local Plan endorses and carries forward this aim. All the relevant Structure Plan policies are listed in Appendix 1. 1.3.5 A local plan is required to be in general conformity with the relevant Structure Plan. This Local Plan has been referred to Cumbria County Council for their perusal and they have issued a statement that the Local Plan is in general conformity with the Joint Structure Plan. Strategic Transport Policies 1.3.6 Cumbria County Council is the Local Highway Authority and until recently has prepared the Cumbria Transport Policies and Programme (TPP) annually. 1.3.7 The TPP System has been replaced recently by the Local Transport Plan System. With the new system the County Council is expected to draw up 5 year integrated transport strategies which cover all modes of urban and rural transport and link them together. Government funds will no longer be allocated for specific individual projects but on the basis of 5 year integrated transport strategies, backed up by a wide range of objectives and targets on which they will be monitored. Strategic Economic Policies 1.3.8 The serious economic problems of the region and West Cumbria have resulted in a number of documents and initiatives, which will have a bearing upon policies in the Local Plan. The European Community has produced documents such as "Europe 2000" which concentrates on the relatively 3 disadvantaged economic condition of the peripheral regions of Europe. It aims to ensure that such regions share fully in any increased prosperity generated within Europe. It is Europe's aim to use its regional development funds in a more considered and focused way. 1.3.9 A Regional Economic Strategy for North West England has been adopted by the North West Regional Association. This Strategy focuses on the period 1993-2000, which encompasses the current programme for European Community Structural Funds. These Structural Funds offer the potential for a major source of flexible public spending which can attract further private sector investment. The Strategy has a vision for the North West as: S a world class centre for production of high quality goods and services S a green and pleasant region S a region of first class links to Europe and the World. At the time of writing the NWRA has been replaced by the North West Development Agency. This new agency is part of the government’s enhancement of the regional dimension in planning and economic regeneration.