Plans that will help decide where thousands of homes and jobs are built across North Yorkshire have moved a step forward.
Work is underway on North Yorkshire Council’s first local plan, which will identify where land should be allocated to accommodate new homes and jobs alongside the infrastructure needed to support them.
The single, countywide strategy will replace the adopted local plans of the former district and borough council areas of Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby.
The Government announced changes to the local plans system nationally in November last year in an attempt to speed up their preparation, helping local authorities to shape development in their areas and meet housing targets.
In North Yorkshire, the Government has set a target of more than 4,000 new homes per year – a significant increase from previous targets.
This has intensified the need for a single, clear plan for North Yorkshire that identifies areas for future development, while also protecting and enhancing the county’s landscape and historic heritage, addressing climate change, and supporting the creation of healthy, sustainable communities.
At the heart of the Government’s reforms is a 30-month timeframe for preparing and adopting local plans, requiring councils to meet key milestones and mandatory checkpoints on the route to agreeing a countywide blueprint.
The proposed timeline for North Yorkshire Council to adopt its first local plan by the end of 2029 has now been set out and will be presented to members of the authority’s executive committee when it meets on Tuesday next week (June 16).
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for open to business, Cllr Mark Crane, whose responsibilities include local plan development, said:
“A significant amount of work has already been carried out to develop our first local plan, which will set out where we feel planned, coordinated and sustainable development should take place.
“Following the Government’s changes to the local plan system, we now need to build on that important work – including the valuable feedback we have already received through public consultation – and align it with the new national framework.
“We are still at an early stage in this process and it is vital that our communities and stakeholders continue to play a central role in shaping the plan.
“There will be a number of opportunities during the plan’s development for people to share their views on what it should include, where new homes and jobs should be located, and how we can protect and enhance the good quality of life that we have here in North Yorkshire.
“This proposed timetable presents a clear route to adopting our first local plan in line with Government requirements, and it will be carefully considered and discussed by members of the executive at next week’s meeting.”
In May last year, the council held an eight-week consultation which invited communities to share their views on a wide range of topics, including delivering sustainable growth, creating healthy and sustainable communities, meeting housing needs and tackling climate change.
Residents and stakeholders were also asked about sustainable transport, infrastructure needs and how best to safeguard North Yorkshire’s heritage.
The feedback gathered through the consultation, which provided valuable insight into the specific needs of particular towns, villages and their communities, will be carried forward and built into the new updated local plan process set out by the Government.
A number of consultations will take place over the coming years as the local plan is progressed, with key milestones outlined in the newly-created draft timetable.
This draft timetable – and the report that will be presented to members of the executive next week – can be viewed or downloaded as a PDF here (Item 7) - Local Plan Timetable.
For more information about the local plan, visit North Yorkshire Council’s website at www.northyorks.gov.uk/localplan.
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