On 27 March the Coalition Government issued their revised National Planning Policy Framework and at first glance it seems to have taken on board many of the criticisms of its first attempt from the likes of The National Trust and the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
The Minister for Communities and Local Governement has emphasised that Localism means that the Local Plan is now to be the main document in deciding planning applications. The government has also bowed to presure to introduce a transitional period of one year to allow Local Authorities to get new plans in place.
The ruling Cabinet of Stratford District Council has already put out their new Core Strategy to public consultation. This is an important document –in effect the Local Plan for Stratford on Avon- which will be used along with the national guidelines to help determine local planning applications up to 2028.
Getting this document right is now more important than ever. It is very detailed. Comments needed to be sent to the District Council by Friday 30 March.
The draft document can be viewed in full at:
www.stratford.gov.uk/planning/planning-4019.cfm
Tanworth Parish Council has joined with both Residents Associations and District Councillor Peter Oakley to oppose some of the main points in the local strategy. Both Residents Associations have sent out the following open letter. This was written before today’s announcement in the House of Commons.
Open Letter to Residents
Dear Resident,
We are taking the unusual step of writing directly to you about the changes that Stratford District Council proposes to make to the way planning applications are handled in our area in future.
Tanworth Parish Council,the Residents Associations in both Tanworth and Earlswood and Forshaw Heath have joined together with one of our District Councillors,Peter Oakley,to form an Alliance to oppose aspects of what is known as the draft Core Strategy 2012. Taken together with national policy this ‘local plan’ will determine how planning decisions are decided here until 2028. The document is now out to public consultation. You can read it on www.stratford.gov.uk/planning/planning-4019.cfm or at either the Parish Council office or at Stratford District Council.
Tanworth Alliance is concerned,in general,that not enough attention has been given to the special circumstances that distinguish Tanworth in Arden from the rest of the district:the very things that make this the desirable area to live in that it is. In the main they concern our status as part of the West Midlands Green Belt. This is a policy designed in our case to prevent Redditch,Birmingham and Solihull becoming one large suburban sprawl with us in the middle.
We should make clear that the members of the Alliance are most definitely not opposed to all change:in the words of the National Trust “change must be managed”. Tanworth Alliance has two main concerns.
Firstly,there is the controversial proposal to give up unilaterally what is known as the 30% rule. This is a local policy that has existed for some time which interprets the legal requirement that any new building in Green Belt should not be “materially larger” than the one it replaces. Up till now Stratford has chosen to interpret this as a 30% by volume threshold which cannot be breached unless there are very special planning reasons. The proponents of abandoning this rule want each application judged in future on its merits. We fear this will mean a “free for all” where many of our existing Warwickshire properties will be swept away by seven bedroom villas with triple garages. Think Knowle or Shirley!
Secondly,the Core Strategy suggests abandoning the present policy of concentrating all new building in Stratford Town where the infrastructure,the schools,shops and roads can cope better and instead dispersing them round the whole district. This could mean that Tanworth and Earlswood,even though they are in Green Belt,could be forced to take many new houses. The Strategy says that these new houses will be limited to 2% of the existing housing stock but that is 2
The Alliance understands these changes have not come from the planning professionals on the Council but from a group of District Councillors dedicated to “freeing up” the planning system.
This is most definitely not a party political issue. Cllr. Peter Oakley supports our view, the other ward member does not. He wants an end to the 30% and embraces the idea of new houses in Green Belt. There is,therefore,a profound internal disagreement within the Conservative party about the future of Tanworth.
We hope you will try to read at least part of the Core Strategy and support us in our opposition to these proposals by way of a letter or electronically. Details of how to do it are given on the above webpage. Time is very short indeed for your views to be heard. You can read more on our new website at www.tanworthresidents.org.uk
Yours faithfully
Tom Ross Jenny Buckley
Chairman Chairman
Tanworth Residents Earlswood and Forshaw Heath Residents
(Source:Tom Ross)
