LDF Progress & The Local Development Scheme
LDF Progress
In June the Government introduced a number of changes to the post 2004 plan - making system. Councils are now expected to publish "real-time" information about the progress they are making with their Local Development Frameworks rather than relying on the less frequently updated Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) and Local Development Scheme (LDS).
So if you wish to check where the City Council has got to with the production of the Local Development Framework please add this page to your favourites and visit regularly.
Please be aware that following the June 2004 changes the City Council will no longer be required to undertake preferred options consultation on any development plan documents if it has not done so by September 2008. The Council will however be required to demonstrate how it has genuinely involved, stakeholders (developers, public utility, service and infrastructure providers etc), hard to reach and community and specific interest groups and, if considered appropriate to the document being prepared, local residents and businesses in the area; in identifying what the plan should include, practical alternative options and the subsequent selection from those alternatives of the final direction of the plan.
Development Plan Documents:
The 2007 LDS describes 7 development plan documents with various production stages in 2008/09.
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The Core Strategy Preferred Options Report was published for 6 weeks between 28th March and 9th May 2008. In total we have registered 504 representations. Although the consultation is now closed you can view all the comments online together with the Preferred Options document and all the supporting information (including the Sustainability Appraisal) via our consultation website. There has been some timetable slippage on the Core Strategy. It was scheduled in our latest (2007) LDS
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to have reached the "submission" stage by May of this year. In view of the changes made to the planning system, the success of the New Growth Points Bid, the proposed changes to Regional Spatial Strategy and the representations made particularly by the Government Office for the North West, the City Council is considering a further round of consultation prior to finalizing the Core Strategy for publication. It is hoped that this will take place in late 2008 / early 2009 with a view to publication in late 2009 and examination and adoption in 2010. -
City Wide Land Allocations DPD. This is scheduled to reach issues and options consultation in November 2008. However delays in the production of the Core Strategy, which is likely to be extended in view of changes to the planning system and in local circumstances, will also have an effect on the timetable for this document. The Land Allocations DPD as a Liverpool wide document will however allow the City Council to focus its resources more effectively as it will not be necessary to produce the North Liverpool, East and South Inner Liverpool and the South Liverpool Riverside Area Action Plans. The consolidation of the statutory elements of the LDF into just two documents reflects current government advice.
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The North Liverpool Area Action Plan. This was scheduled in the 2007 LDS to have reached preferred options consultation by May 2008. Following discussion with GONW the planning issues for North Liverpool will be more effectively addressed through the Land Allocations DPD (supplemented by non-statutory planning documents if needed for greater detail).
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The Technical Policies DPD. Intended to provide general polices across a range of thematic areas, this is scheduled to reach issues and options consultation in September 2008. The Government's latest planning policy statement (PPS12) advises that national or regional policy is a material consideration when processing planning applications and as such local authorities should only require, where evidence supports it, more detailed policy at the local level. The need for this document is therefore under review.
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East and South Inner Liverpool Area Action Plan and the South Liverpool Riverside Area Action Plan. These DPDs were scheduled to reach issues and options consultation in June and July 2008 respectively and preferred options in March 2009. Following discussion with GONW the planning issues for both of these documents will be more effectively addressed through the Land Allocations DPD (supplemented by non-statutory planning documents if needed for greater detail).
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Joint Merseyside Waste Development Plan Document. This document, which is being produced jointly by the five Merseyside Districts and Halton Council, was timetabled to undergo preferred options consultation in January and February 2008 and to reach submission stage in September 2008. In response to the issues and options consultation undertaken to date and additional expert "soundness" assessment further issues and options type consultation is to be undertaken in late October/November 2008 looking at site identification. Publication of the final document is expected to take place in January 2010, followed by submission to the Secretary of State and then the soundness examination later in that year.
Supplementary Planning Documents:
The 2007 LDS sets out the details of 4 supplementary planning documents (SPDs) currently under production.
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The Liverpool World Heritage Site SPD. This was scheduled for adoption by February 2008 as it is linked to the existing Liverpool Unitary Development Plan (UDP) rather than the Core Strategy. The complexity of the work and detail required have significantly extended the time it has taken to produce the consultation draft version of this SPD. It is now hoped that consultation will take place in Autumn 2008.
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Developer Contributions SPD. Consultation on a draft of this SPD was timetabled for October and November 2007 but has not taken place. This SPD is to be linked to the Core Strategy and therefore cannot be adopted until it has been successfully produced as well. Uncertainties about the development of national policy on this matter has led to development of the draft document being deferred. There is currently no date for consultation. This position will be reviewed in the preparation of the next LDS.
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Design for Access for All. This SPD which is also intended to supplement the Core Strategy when adopted was timetabled for consultation late 2007. Progress is now being made on the draft document and it is hoped that consultation on a draft document can take place in late 2008.
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The Ensuring a Choice of Travel draft Supplementary Planning Document was consulted on for 6 weeks from the 25th April until 6th June 2008. This document is linked to the existing Liverpool Unitary Development Plan (UDP) rather than the Core Strategy. In all 52 comments were received on the draft document. These are currently being assessed with a view to producing and adopting the final version of the SPD by the end of 2008. As with the Core Strategy the document and all the comments made are available to read on our consultation website. More information can also be found on our Ensuring a Choice of Travel SPD page.
Local Development Scheme
The Local Development Scheme (LDS) is a programme for the production of planning policy documents. Liverpool's LDS covers the period up to April 2011.
The latest version of the LDS came into force on April 27th 2007 and replaces the previous one which was dated December 2006.
As of October 2007, there has been some slippage on the milestones set in the LDS. In particular it is unlikely that the Core Strategy Preferred Options Report and the North Liverpool Area Action Plan Issues and Options consultations will take place until early 2008. Other documents will be affected as a consequence. Further details will be provided in the Annual Monitoring Report published at the end of 2007 and in a revised LDS in early 2008.
You can get copies of previous LDS' by telephoning the Development Plans Team on 0151 233 3021 or by emailing them at development.plans@liverpool.gov.uk. They are also available to download below.
You can download the current LDS here.
Previous LDS':
1st Edition LDS - April 2005
2nd Edition LDS - June 2006
3rd Edition LDS - December 2006