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The following matrix will assist you in undertaking a review of policies within your plan to assess whether they need updating. 

 

The matrix is intended to supplement the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) (paragraph 33 in particular) and the associated National Planning Practice Guidance on the review of policies within the plan.  Completing the matrix will help you understand which policies may be out of date for the purposes of decision making or where circumstances may have changed and whether or not the policy / policies in the plan continue to be effective in addressing the specific local issues that are identified the plan.  This in turn will then help you to focus on whether and to what extent, an update of your policies is required. We would recommend that you undertake this assessment even if your adopted local plan already contains a trigger for review which has already resulted in you knowing that it needs to be updated.  This is because there may be other policies within the plan which should be, or would benefit from, being updated. 

 

This part of the toolkit deals only with local plan review. Part 2 of the toolkit sets out the content requirements for a local plan as set out in the NPPF.  Part 3 of the toolkit outlines the process requirements for plan preparation set out in legislation and the NPPF. Soundness and Plan Quality issues are dealt with in Part 4 of the toolkit.

 

 

How to use this part of the toolkit

 

Before using this assessment tool it is important that you first consider your existing plan against the key requirements for the content of local plans which are included in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended); The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) and the most up to date NPPF. To help you with this Part 2 of the toolkit provides a checklist which sets out the principal requirements for the content and form of local plans against the relevant paragraphs of the NPPF. Completing Part 2 of the toolkit will help you determine the extent to which your current plan does or does not accord with relevant key requirements in national policy.  This will assist you in completing question 1 in the assessment matrix provided below, and in deciding whether or not you need to update policies in your plan, and to what extent.

 

To use the matrix, consider each of the statements listed in the “requirements to consider” column against the content of your current plan. You will need to take into consideration policies in all development plan documents that make up your development plan, including any ‘made’ neighbourhood plans and/ or any adopted or emerging Strategic Development Strategy. For each statement decide whether you:

  • Disagree (on the basis that your plan does not meet the requirement at all);
  • Agree (on the basis that you are confident that your current plan will meet the requirement)

 

Some prompts are included to help you think through the issues and support your assessment. You may wish to add to these reflecting on your own context.

 

Complete all sections of the matrix as objectively and fully as possible. Provide justification for your conclusions with reference to relevant sources of evidence where appropriate. You will need an up to date Authority Monitoring Report, your latest Housing Delivery Test results, 5 year housing land supply position and the latest standard methodology housing needs information.  You may also need to rely on or update other sources of evidence but take a proportionate approach to this.  It should be noted that any decision not to update any policies in your local plan will need to be clearly evidenced and justified.

 

 

How to use the results of this part of the toolkit

 

The completed assessment can also be used as the basis for, or as evidence to support, any formal decision of the council in accordance with its constitution or in the case of, for example, Joint Planning Committees, the relevant Terms of Reference in relation to the approach to formal decision-making, as to why an update to the local plan is or is not being pursued.  This accords with national guidance and supports the principle of openness and transparency of decision making by public bodies. 

 

 

  Matters to consider Agree/Disagree Extent to which the local plan meets this requirement
A PLAN REVIEW FACTORS    
A1

The plan policies still reflect current national planning policy requirements.

PROMPT:

As set out above in the introductory text, in providing your answer to this statement consider if the policies in your plan still meet the ‘content’ requirements of the current NPPF (completing Part 2 of the toolkit will help you determine the extent to which the policies in your plan accord with relevant key requirements in national policy).

 

Reason (with reference to plan policies, sections and relevant evidence):

  Matters to consider Agree/Disagree Extent to which the local plan meets this requirement
A2

There has not been a significant change in local housing need numbers from that specified in your plan (accepting there will be some degree of flux).

PROMPT:

Look at whether your local housing need figure, using the standard methodology as a starting point, has gone up significantly (with the measure of significance based on a comparison with the housing requirement set out in your adopted local plan).

 

Consider whether your local housing need figure has gone down significantly (with the measure of significance based on a comparison with the housing requirement set out in your adopted local plan). You will need to consider if there is robust evidence to demonstrate that your current housing requirement is deliverable in terms of market capacity or if it supports, for example, growth strategies such as Housing Deals, new strategic infrastructure investment or formal agreements to meet unmet need from neighbouring authority areas.

 

Reason (with reference to plan policies, sections and relevant evidence sources):