Site Development Policies: Additional Sutton Town Centre and Updated Climate Change Policies and Proposals

Overview

The council is preparing a Site Development Policies Development Plan Document which will identify future development sites and detailed policies to help implement the adopted Core Planning Strategy: http://www.sutton.gov.uk/coreplanningstrategy. It is the second of a suite of documents in the council’s Local Development Framework that will replace the adopted Unitary Development Plan.

The adopted Sutton Local Development Scheme (2007) indicated that the council would also prepare an Area Action Plan for Sutton Town Centre. Accordingly, an ‘Issues and Option’ document and a ‘Preferred Options’ document were prepared and were consulted upon during 2008 and 2009 respectively. However, following the withdrawal of the Housing and Planning Delivery Grant, and, due to other budget constraints, the council resolved, in October 2010, that the Area Action Plan could no longer be progressed.

As government regulations require that there should be no policy duplication, the Site Development Policies DPD (the Sites DPD) does not currently contain any policy guidance, site allocations or delivery mechanism for Sutton town centre. Accordingly, in order to ensure that there is no policy vacuum, a limited suite of policies and proposals, covering Sutton town centre, will be included in the Site DPD which is scheduled for submission in summer this year.

In addition the council is proposing a number of changes to the Climate Change Policies in line with latest national and regional guidance and our local evidence base.

We have now published the ‘Proposed Submission’ version of the Sutton Town Centre and Climate Change Policies and Proposals to allow people to comment before it is finally sent to an independent Planning Inspector for Examination.  Responses must be received no later than 5pm on Thursday 28^th April 2011. Representations after this date will not be accepted.

For further information please visit: http://www.sutton.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10734

Why your views matter

The Council has a statutory duty to consult all relevant stakeholders when preparing a Development Plan Document.  Public involvement over the last few years has helped shape this important plan.  At this stage comments must relate to the ‘soundness’ and or legal compliance of the document. These are explained in the notes that accompany the representations form. All responses will then be passed on to an independent Planning Inspector as part of the Examination.

What happens next

The Site Development Policies document along with the Sutton Town Centre and Climate Change Policies and Proposals will be submitted to the Secretary of State for examination by an independent Planning Inspector. All representations will be passed on to the Planning Inspector.