Cotswold District Council targets ‘Green to the Core’ Local Plan Update with public consultation live until 7 April 2024.
The Cotswold District Local Plan Update: Regulation 18 Consultation is live, with the Council inviting comments and development site submissions up to 7 April.
The key focus of the Council is to update previous policy text in ways that make it ‘Green to the Core’. The Regulation 18 Consultation is also an opportunity for the Council to consider how to deliver development needs up to 2041.
The consultation documents set out:
- Proposed track changes to policy wording of the adopted Local Plan, with supplementary justification for the changes sought
- Proposed development strategy options for the period up to 2041
- A call for sites inviting sites relating to market housing, affordable housing, employment, and commercial types of development
What are the proposed policies?
Some of the key updates in the Local Plan include:
- A reduction in the level of housing need over the plan period compared to the current housing targets
- A provisional deployment target for the district to generate 20% of its electricity demand from renewable sources by 2050
- A suite of new policies that sets sustainable construction requirements for all new build residential developments, with net zero carbon buildings in operation supported by five core principles, and policies requiring renewable energy to be generated for all new developments
- Policy wording to increase the percentage of new affordable homes coming forward
- A more systematic approach to tourist accommodation i.e. a more detailed policy wording to enable greater clarity
- Greater control on the details of new development in non-principal settlements
When will the consultation close?
Consultation feedback should be submitted before the consultation closes on 7 April 2024.
For more information on the consultation, see the consultation page.
Iain Summerwood, Principal Planner, Edgars, commented, “A number of the Oxfordshire local planning authorities are preparing their emerging local plans at the moment. In due course, many more will be incentivised by the government’s recent actions encouraging local planning authorities to advance new local plans by providing greater housing land supply flexibility to those with a Regulation 18 emerging local plan which contains a Proposals Map of proposed site allocations.
Cotswold District Council is seeking a number of changes to its planning policy wording, particularly with the sustainability agenda in mind. This particular Regulation 18 Consultation does not set out all the new site-specific allocations required on a Proposals Map (this will feature in the next consultation stage), therefore this is a prime opportunity for landowners to get involved in the development conversation in the area, engaging with the Call for Sites process, ahead of the key decisions the Council will need to make. We would be happy to hear from landowners and developer on this opportunity, and also from those who have interest in the future policy wording. Please feel free to get in touch”.
If you have any queries about how any of these proposed changes might impact your property portfolio, get in contact with our team on 01865 731700 or email us via enquiries@edgarslimited.co.uk.
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