We now have a rough idea of the timetable that will be applied to the Core Strategy of the new Babergh Development Framework.
This is the policy document that will address the council's expectations for projected growth in housing and employment in the District, together with a broad idea as to where future development, resulting from this growth, will take place. The projections will be made for a 20 year period to 2031. Further, more detailed documents, relating, for example, to actual land allocations for development and the management of the development process, will follow in due course.
One major difference in the process this time is that there is no need to produce a framework that covers everything at once, and different papers on different subjects can be adopted sequentially.
The process has been held up somewhat due to the change of Government in May, but sufficient guidelines have now been received from Whitehall to allow it to get under way again. There is no doubt that the ‘tone’ of the process has now changed, with less emphasis on top down diktat and more on trying to shape the District in accordance with the preferences of the community. This means, as I have mentioned before on the blog, that the community needs to get involved with the process!
District councillors are being asked to ‘support’ the consultation process and try to help residents to formulate their views. Workshops and information packs are being provided for Parish Councils. It is probable that public meetings will be held, but it is always possible for residents to attend Parish Council meetings and make their views clear there.
It seems that there will be not one, but two, consultation periods and the first one commences in October 2010(not September as previously stated).The final consultation will take place in late summer 2011 (provided the rules do not change once again!)
It should be emphasised that what is being agreed is a long term strategy. It is unlikely that we will see unexpected new development on new sites in the near future. Babergh, at present, has enough land earmarked to satisfy demand for homes over at least the next five years.
