The range and number of Local Development Framework documents is daunting. You can enter Herefordshire Council’s Local Development Framework pages here.
We set out below our own navigation through those webpages so you can take a quick (or otherwise) look at the documents most relevant to the SURE Herefordshire process. (Quoted passages are from the Council’s webpages.)
To find your bearings, you may want to visit Planning Portal – Local Plans which offers a concise overview of the LDF process and some helpful links. We have uploaded some helpful Royal Town Planning Institute briefings on what local development frameworks — what they are, how they are prepared and how to get involved — to our virtual library.
We’ve also posted a diagram of the LDF process and the checklist for assessing the soundness of a development plan.
Core Strategy (The key document)
‘Place shaping’ paper as consulted on January – March 2010
Preferred Options papers (includes Hereford, Market Towns, Rural Area and General Policies, together with the relevant Sustainability Appraisals)
ESSENTIAL FOR WORK ON THE LDF IN 2012: A Revised Preferred Option for the Core Strategy was consulted on in September-November 2011, in part due to rejection of the Hereford Preferred Option. Earlier options need to be read in light of this revision. The main thrust of the revision was extension of the plan period to 2031, a reduction of overall housing numbers and a reallocation of some housing to rural areas. The Background Paper for the Revised Preferred Option is crucial to understanding the current position, as are the related updated Sustainability Appraisals, all on the this webpage.
The documents below were prepared to assist people in responding for that consultation. They may still be of use:
• Analysis of RPO in light of Soundness test, with sample objections (9pp, 116 KB pdf), by Paige Mitchell — Picks out some key issues for the Revised Preferred Option, based on the Soundness test. Refers to Appendices (25 pp, 576 KB pdf) containing chapter and verse on issues concerning the soundness of the plan. See Sure Outputs page for a response to the consultation based on SURE seminar of February 2011.
Sustainability Appraisals (this web page also includes Sustainability Appraisals of earlier developing options papers. You can find out more about the Council’s Sustainability Appraisals here.)
Sustainable Community Strategy National planning policy (PPS12, see our webpage on national planning policy) requires that the Core Strategy must be linked to the county’s ‘Sustainable Community Strategy’.
Statement of Community Involvement
‘The Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) sets out how and when the Council will involve you in the preparation of planning documents.’ It is another ‘development plan document’ on which the Core Strategy depends.
Policy Direction Papers
According to the Council’s website, policy direction papers ‘will evolve into fully worded policies for the Submission stage of the final Core Strategy.’
(950KB pdf file) indicates the main locations for development.
_________
All of the following are supporting documents relevant to evaluating the LDF. The evidence base is the most important for the SURE Herefordshire workshop.
LDF Evidence Base
The evidence base for the LDF is a large set of documents covering a range of subjects from affordable housing to water supply.
We will be adding available independent commentary on the evidence base. Please check the virtual library under ‘Herefordshire’.
Background Papers
The background papers for the Core Strategy include papers on Climate Change, Vision and Objectives and the Spatial Strategy.
We created some overview documents for reference at the workshop. These are taken verbatim from the Place Shaping Paper Consultation (PSPC) and the Spatial Strategy Background Paper.
The Vision and Objectives ‘set the direction of travel for the spatial policies and policies that follow. The Council consider them to be in a form ‘that can taken straight through to submission stage’ (para 4.1 of the 2010 ‘Place Shaping’ Paper Consultation).
Background and Some Key Policies (280KB pdf file) tries to present an overview of the issues in the Core Strategy, including the strategy for accommodating a major increase in population. It also quotes from key policy areas such as housing.
Issue Identification
‘The first stage of preparing the Core Strategy was to identify the issues that are important across the County and to develop a long-term vision for Herefordshire 2026.’
Consultation
Consultation Statements and Results: ‘In order to show how consultation has been undertaken within all stages of the Core Strategy’s production … [and] how consultation has complied with the adopted Statement of Community Involvement and the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) Regulations 2004.’
