Wycombe District Council Statement of Consultation for the Wycombe District Local Plan DRAFT – September 2017 Wycombe District Local Plan – Statement of Consultation (draft - September 2017) This page is left intentionally blank 2 Wycombe District Local Plan – Statement of Consultation (draft - September 2017) Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 5 Purpose of this report ..................................................................................................... 5 Scope of the Wycombe District Local Plan ..................................................................... 5 Timetable ...................................................................................................................... 6 Statement of Community Involvement ............................................................................ 7 Part 1. Who was consulted (Regulation 18)?...................................................................... 9 Part 2. How we consulted during the preparation of the Local Plan ................................... 10 Distribution of letters / emails ....................................................................................... 10 Information on Council website .................................................................................... 10 Documents available for inspection .............................................................................. 10 Weekly Planning Bulletin .............................................................................................. 10 Press ........................................................................................................................... 11 Fact sheets and FAQs ................................................................................................. 11 Newsletters / Booklets ................................................................................................. 11 Consultation briefings and Public Meetings .................................................................. 12 Workshops .................................................................................................................. 12 Market Research including Focus Groups .................................................................... 12 Video boxes ................................................................................................................. 12 Exhibition events ......................................................................................................... 12 Attendance at meeting with Stakeholder Groups .......................................................... 13 Inform and involve all Parish / Town Councils ............................................................... 13 Wycombe Agents Panel ............................................................................................... 13 Reserve Sites .............................................................................................................. 13 3 Wycombe District Local Plan – Statement of Consultation (draft - September 2017) Princes Risborough ..................................................................................................... 14 Summary of engagement methods ............................................................................... 16 Part 3. Summary of the main stages and issues raised and how representations have been taken into account ........................................................................................................... 17 Stage 1 – the Issues stage ........................................................................................... 18 Importance of improving broadband connectivity in rural areas......................................... 24 The need to protect the Green Belt and AONB by focusing development on brownfield sites first ................................................................................................................................. 29 The impact of climate change, including on flood risk ....................................................... 29 Stage 2 - Options Consultation ..................................................................................... 30 Stage 3a – Preparation of the Consultation Draft Local Plan ......................................... 39 Stage 3b Preparation of the draft Princes Risborough Town Plan ................................. 42 Stage 4a - Draft Princes Risborough Town Plan consultation ........................................ 49 Stage 4b- Draft Wycombe District Local Plan ............................................................... 57 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 81 Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 82 Appendix 1 - List of bodies who were invited to make representations under Regulation 18 ................................................................................................................................ 83 Consultation database .............................................................................................. 83 Duty to Cooperate bodies ......................................................................................... 83 Specific Consultation bodies (in addition to DTC bodies) ........................................... 85 General Consultation bodies ..................................................................................... 88 Appendix 2 - List of events outside formal consultation stages ...................................... 94 4 Wycombe District Local Plan – Statement of Consultation (draft - September 2017) Introduction Purpose of this report This Statement sets out how the Council has involved the community and stakeholders in preparing the Wycombe District Local Plan. This document is a statutory requirement for a Local Planning Authority publishing and submitting a Local Plan to the Secretary of State. It outlines how the Council complied with government requirements, in line with Regulation 17 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. The Statement provides information on the following matters: Which bodies and persons were invited to make representations under regulation 18; How these bodies and persons were invited to make such representations; A summary of the main issues raised by those representations, and; How those main issues have been addressed in the Wycombe District Local Plan. The report also provides wider information on the Council’s engagement activities. In line with Regulation 22, this Statement of Consultation will be updated after the Publication consultation stage when the plan is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate and will include: Representations made pursuant to Regulation 20 (at Publication stage), the number of representations made and a summary of the main issues raised in those representations, and If no representations were made under Regulation 20, that no such representations were made. Scope of the Wycombe District Local Plan The Wycombe District Local Plan sets out the spatial vision, objectives and strategy for delivering sustainable development across the District. The plan sets housing targets for the District, the approach to securing economic development, and addresses other strategic issues. The plan includes housing and mixed use allocations, policies, and proposals for the protection and provision of employment land/land for business, and development management policies. The plan replaces the adopted Core Strategy (2008) and Wycombe District Local Plan to 2011 (2004) and sits alongside the adopted Delivery and Site Allocations Plan (2013). It does not generally seek to include proposals for High Wycombe, Marlow or Princes Risborough town centres to replace those set out in the Delivery and Site Allocations Plan, unless there are clearly justifiable reasons for doing so. As the new Local Plan was evolving the Council took the decision in March 2015 to produce a separate plan to cover development at Princes Risborough and a number of separate 5 Wycombe District Local Plan – Statement of Consultation (draft - September 2017) consultations were undertaken as a result. This is set out in stages 3b and 4a of this report. In 2016 the Council then reverted to producing a single Local Plan that includes proposals at Princes Risborough. Timetable The preparation timetable and the main consultation stages of the new Local Plan DPD are shown in Table 1 below. It is important to note that alongside these key consultation stages dialogue has taken place throughout the process with relevant stakeholders and individuals to assist with the preparation of the plan and resolve outstanding issues. In particular, the Council has worked extensively with neighbouring authorities and organisations under the Duty to Cooperate, through ongoing formal and informal discussions. More information can be found separately in the Wycombe District Local Plan and the Duty to Cooperate draft report (September 2017). A list of public meetings, stakeholder briefings and workshops which were held between formal consultation stages can be found at Appendix 2. Table 1. Process and Timetable for preparing the Wycombe District Local Plan DPD. Wycombe District Local Princes Risborough Area Action Plan Plan