Burnley’s Local Plan: Proposed Submission Document Consultation Statement under Regulations 19 and 17(d) Burnley Borough Council: April 2017 Burnley Local Plan: Regulation 19 and 17(d) Consultation Statement Contents 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 3 2. Consultation Requirements .......................................................................................... 3 3. Summary of Consultation Stages ................................................................................... 3 4. Early Engagement ......................................................................................................... 5 5. Consultation on Issues and Options .............................................................................. 7 Consultation ........................................................................................................................... 8 Responses .............................................................................................................................. 9 6. Consultation on Issues and Options Additional Sites ................................................... 11 Consultation ......................................................................................................................... 11 Responses ............................................................................................................................ 12 7. Supplementary Consultation....................................................................................... 13 8. Preferred Options Consultation .................................................................................. 13 Consultation ......................................................................................................................... 13 Responses ............................................................................................................................ 14 Main Issues Raised ............................................................................................................... 17 Consideration of the Comments ......................................................................................... 19 9. Ongoing Consultation ................................................................................................. 20 Appendix 1: Issues and Options Consultation Letter........................................................ 22 Appendix 2: Issues and Options Additional Sites Consultation Letter ............................. 23 Appendix 3: Preferred Options Consultation Letter ......................................................... 24 Appendix 4: Preferred Options Consultation List ............................................................. 26 Burnley Local Plan Regulation 19 and 17(d) Consultation Statement 1. Introduction 1.1 The purpose of this Consultation Statement is to set out details of the consultation undertaken in the preparation of the Burnley Local Plan. It has been produced in order to meet the requirements of Regulation 19 and 17(d) of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 as amended. 1.2 It sets out high level summary details of the responses made during the three stage Regulation 18 consultation. It highlights the main issues raised and outlines how these have been addressed in the Local Plan that is proposed to be submitted to the Secretary of State. 2. Consultation Requirements 2.1 Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2012 as amended requires that in preparing a Local Plan (1) A local planning authority must— (a) notify each of the bodies or persons specified in paragraph (2) of the subject of a local plan which the local planning authority propose to prepare, and (b) invite each of them to make representations to the local planning authority about what a local plan with that subject ought to contain. (2) The bodies or persons referred to in paragraph (1) are— (a) such of the specific consultation bodies as the local planning authority consider may have an interest in the subject of the proposed local plan; (b) such of the general consultation bodies as the local planning authority consider appropriate; and (c) such residents or other persons carrying on business in the local planning authority’s area from which the local planning authority consider it appropriate to invite representations. (3) In preparing the local plan, the local planning authority must take into account any representation made to them in response to invitations under paragraph (1). 2.2 Regulation 18 stage is flexible and need not necessarily comprise a single event. 2.3 The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act requires the Council to produce Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). This explains what the Council will do to involve the community and other stakeholders in the preparation and revision of local development documents (including the Local Plan) and how the community will be consulted on planning applications. Burnley Borough Council adopted its initial Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) on 5th September 2007. This was updated in July 2015 to reflect the reality of the Council’s revised planning staffing and financial resources and changes in legislation, plan-making procedures and community structures. It was adopted by Council’s Executive on 14 July 2015. 2.4 The SCI sets out how the Council intends to comply with the statutory requirements and consult at Regulation 18 and other plan stages. The 2015 SCI revision took account of comments made on the consultation process at the Issues and Options stages of the Local Plan’s Development. 3. Summary of Consultation Stages 3.1 The Council opted for a multi-stage approach to the Regulation 18 consultation in broad alignment line with the approach of its earlier SCI when such stages were a statutory requirement of plan-making. It undertook an Issues and Options, Issues and Options Additional Sites and Preferred Options consultation. 3 Burnley Local Plan Regulation 19 and 17(d) Consultation Statement 3.2 The following table sets out the plan-making and consultation stages identified in the SCI and the dates they were undertaken. Table 1: Plan and Consultation Stages and Dates Stage Process 1. Pre-production Collect evidence and establish wider 2012 Onwards policy framework 2. Involvement Informal consultations may be carried Early Engagement: out and the nature/extent of these will 2012-2014 be determined by the specific Informal and early requirements of evidence gathering or engagement the subject matter Issues and Options: Consider issues and alternatives 17 Feb to 31 March 2014 Issues and Consult on the Scope of the SA/SEA Options Issues and Options Additional Sites: 26 August to 7 October 2012 3. Consultation Consult over six week period in line with Regulation 18 Preferred Options: Council to consider the comments Preferred Options 15 July to 26 August 2016 made* 4. Publication Statutory stage where a minimum of 6 weeks is provided to make Proposed Submission Consultation: ‘representations’ on the plan, its Publication of sustainability appraisal and supporting Proposed evidence (Regulations 19 and 20) 12 April 2107 to 26 May 2017 Submission These ‘representations’ will be Document and (Statutory 6 weeks plus 3 extra days considered by the Inspector at the SEA/SA Report for because of bank holiday) Examination final representations 5. Examination Main issues raised in the representations at Regulation 19/20 Submission proposed - July 2017 summarised and made publicly available Submission of Examination to Start - July 2017 Plan submitted to Secretary of State for Plan for independent Examination in line with Hearing Dates - tbc Independent Regulation 22 Examination Independent Examination (notice given 6 weeks in advance to people who have requested to appear - Regulation 24) 4 Burnley Local Plan Regulation 19 and 17(d) Consultation Statement Examination likely to involve public Hearing Sessions Planning Inspector issues Report 6. Main Optional Stage - if the Council agrees, tbc Modifications the Inspector can propose changes or ‘main modifications’ to the plan (including to add ‘omission sites’, i.e. additional sites put forward by objectors to the DPD) to avoid it being found ‘unsound’ Inspector considers representations on main modifications The hearings may be re-opened 7. Adoption Plan adopted by the Council if agreed as Anticipated March 2018 ‘sound’ by Inspector (Regulation 26) 8. Monitor & Monitor Plan to make sure it is Review achieving its objectives Plan may be reviewed where necessary * It is important to note that any comments made at this stage will not be carried forward to the Independent Examination. If anyone is not satisfied that their comments have been taken on board, they must comment again on the Proposed Submission Document in order to have their comments considered by the Inspector 4. Early Engagement 4.1 The first Local Development Scheme (LDS) adopted by Burnley Council in 2004 set out a plan to produce a Core Strategy DPD, Development Management Policies DPD and 5 Area Action Plan DPDs. The 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act required local planning authorities to prepare a Core Strategy with which other Development Plan Documents and Supplementary Planning Documents had to be in conformity. This is no longer the case and it is now possible to produce a single planning document incorporating strategic