Support for Plan Making

This support provides Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) with an assessment of the suitability and effectiveness of the project programme, project plan, and resources they have in place for delivering the production/review/update of their Local Plan. The aim of the support is to keep the project management of the Local Plan on track. Support includes an appraisal/assessment of the:

• achievability of the schedule/timeline/LDS level of project and programme sponsorship
• key tasks and milestones identified for the main work packages
• specific risks to the timetable and how these can be managed and mitigated
• Governance and reporting arrangements

• Still a requirement and still an area that many local plans find tricky. We are providing an appraisal/assessment of the scope, suitability, effectiveness and application of a council’s the approach to / processes for meeting the duty to cooperate. 
   
• Support includes an appraisal/assessment of how each council has met the requirements of:
   
  • Section 33A of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (PCPA 2004) that requires strategic policy-making authorities to cooperate with each other, and other bodies, when preparing, or supporting the preparation of policies which address strategic matters. 
     
  • The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) requirements relating to maintaining effective cooperation and the production of statements (s) of common ground, throughout the plan-making process.
     
  • Satisfying Inspectors at examination that the authority has met the Duty to Cooperate by engaging with neighbouring authorities and other bodies “constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis”.

Preparing a Local Plan is a complex project. It involves a number of stages and associated tasks. One of the fundamental tasks is the scoping, preparation and creation of up-to-date evidence. A clear, concise relevant and proportionate evidence base is a cornerstone of efficient and sound plan-making. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out the requirement for the preparation and review of all policies to be “underpinned by relevant and up-to-date evidence.

This is arguably the most resource intensive and time-consuming part of the plan making process. We are helping councils with an evidence base audit (what’s still relevant, needs updating etc.), reviewing the overall approach to scoping, creating and interpreting the evidence base, and providing a view on its fitness for purpose. Plus reviewing and providing advice on specific/specialist evidence base topics or providing advice to stakeholders e.g. members.