Ledbury Newent Ross-on-Wye Gloucester Monmouth Cinderford Coleford Lydney Forest of Dean District Chepstow Local Plan 2021 - 2041 Issues and Options September 2019 Local Plan 2021 - 2041 Issues and Options Forest of Dean District Council September 2019 Contents 1 Introduction 2 2 Background 5 3 Key Issues 12 4 Relationship with plan vision and objectives 25 5 Context 26 6 Basic Spatial Options 28 7 Next Steps 37 8 Areas of Policy 38 9 Glossary 43 2 Forest of Dean District Council September 2019 Local Plan 2021 - 2041 Issues and Options 1 Introduction Purpose 1.1 This document sets out the issues and basic options that have so far been identified for the review of the Local Plan (LP) for the Forest of Dean. It considers how the issues are derived from the initial vision, from the context in which the plan will exist and from external influences including national guidance. It shows what the high level options for the way in which the plan will approach the future provision for the area may be, given the likely indicative scale of that provision. Finally, it considers the implications for the possible content of a LP in terms of the policy areas that need to be covered in order to address the issues that have been identified. 1.2 At this stage apart from the approval of the process and the endorsement of the vision and the issues that follow there are no expressed preferred option or options. This document supports an Issues and Options consultation that will inform the decision to be made in the light of the responses to consultation and any other evidence. Introduction to Plan Review 1.3 A plan review as defined in the national guidance (including the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and related National Planning Guidance (NPPG), begins with the consideration of whether the existing document is still fit for purpose. It may then find that some elements are and other are not. 1.4 The context and overall objectives of a Plan shape its content. In the case of the context a much greater focus on climate change has emerged and many councils have now declared a climate emergency, with accompanying resolutions. Although climate change was a theme in the 2012 CS and also the AP, it will be an issue of much greater prominence in the review reflecting the Council's priorities and delivering actions where it can through policies and proposals. Equally whilst sustainable development was defined in earlier plans and development that was increasingly sustainable was sought and often achieved, there is now a much greater urgency. The following short definition therefore will underpin the new LP which will then apply it to the three objectives in the NPPF. Definition of Sustainable Development Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. 1987 Bruntland Commission Question 1 Do you agree that the LP should take as an initial theme the above definition of sustainable development? Local Plan 2021 - 2041 Issues and Options Forest of Dean District Council September 2019 3 Introduction 1 1.5 In the case of the FoDDC Plan the need is for a comprehensive new plan which runs forward to 2041. A full review of the existing policies is needed in order that a plan capable of accommodating the changes that are expected between now and that date can be developed. It may not mean that the entire range of existing policies is changed although they must be reviewed (considering whether they remain fit for the purpose for which they were intended and whether that purpose is still appropriate). The policies that allocate land for particular uses are the most obvious ones that will be reviewed and where necessary replaced. Many of them have been implemented or are in the process of being implemented, some may fail because they have not been implemented and others may be removed or amended due to changing circumstances. A new set of policies identifying land for development is required to provide an adequate supply. New policies may be necessary for a variety of other reasons, for example in order to reflect current guidance and to ensure that the new plan can protect what is necessary whilst delivering sustainable development over the district. 1.6 Once the intent of renewing a plan is established, the first step is to define the areas in need of review and at the same time to consider the options that are available. These may be defined with reference to the aims and objectives of the plan and from the ways in which it can address any issues that have been identified. Final options usually emerge after a process involving the preparation and testing of drafts. All will be supported by a range of evidence that will be developed over the life of the plan, or at least until it is adopted. Question 2 Should the plan look forward to year 2041? Should the plan review and change, where necessary, all of the current AP and CS? 1.7 In support of the whole is a Sustainability Assessment (SA), a process which will continually shape the emerging plan or strategy. This will show how the options and then the policies and proposals deliver against a variety of tests based on sustainability. These include impacts on C02 emissions for which the intent is that the FoDD achieves a figure of net zero by 2030. The plan itself will follow the stages whereby issues and options are established, and a draft whole plan is prepared and refined. This will be further tested through consultation and other evaluation and will then be refined to result in a version to be submitted for examination. The examination will look for a plan that is "positively prepared" (meets the needs of the area and any neighbouring needs that are agreed as being met within the area), justified in terms of an appropriate strategy supported by evidence, effective (deliverable) and consistent with national policy (NPPF 36). Question 3 Do you agree with the need to bring carbon emissions down to zero by 2030? 4 Forest of Dean District Council September 2019 Local Plan 2021 - 2041 Issues and Options 1 Introduction 1.8 The evidence base will be developed in a manner which will provide progressively greater detail as the plan evolves. It is not for example possible to carry out detailed assessments of sites until they are defined but general themes and broad locations can be evaluated as basic plan options and broad issues are identified. These when related to the vision and the overall needs can be used to inform initial options. Options at this stage are broad spatial strategies that may be part of the final plan in order that it may deliver what is required. They need to be realistic in terms of being able to be delivered but remain subject to much further study and consultation in order to refine and select the most appropriate strategy for the draft plan. The draft plan is expected to be a complete and detailed version of the plan. It is then subject to consultation and review before the next version is compiled. This is published, is open to comment and is then submitted to the Secretary of State. 1.9 This document demonstrates how the basic plan issues are derived and relates these to possible spatial strategies. These strategies take account of current evidence including indications of the scale of new development that may be needed. Equally importantly they include the present broad understanding of the many physical constraints that may apply over the district. Although the supporting evidence is incomplete, it will provide a realistic guide sufficient to derive initial options. From these it will be apparent what additional specific evidence is likely to be needed. At a strategic level the SA will be able to look at the options and help refine, reject or select them having also informed the process by which they were derived. 1.10 It is very likely that further issues will be identified during the plan making process, and it is certain that the range of options will vary. The final plan is likely to take forward a strategy that has features of more than one option. The final strategy may have some "headline" major allocations but also incorporate a range of more incremental changes such as “x dwellings/ ha to be allocated across a range of larger villages”. This is largely because the plan overall must address a range of issues which require a wide range of spatial solutions. The content of the plan and the evidence on which it is based will inevitably change as it evolves. Whilst this paper is based on the current situation, it will be essential that the LP that is eventually submitted takes account of the latest available material that it is able to consider. Local Plan 2021 - 2041 Issues and Options Forest of Dean District Council September 2019 5 Background 2 2.1 A plan end date of 2041 is considered appropriate. A commitment for such a review was given at the recent AP examination and in any event government policy now requires a plan to have at least a 15 year life on adoption. As a consequence of the review of the LP, it is likely that the various NDPs (Neighbourhood Development Plans) prepared under the guidance of Parish Councils and which also form part of the Development Plan will need to be reviewed. The councils concerned, and any others, are also encouraged to take an active part in the LP review process.