The draft Detailed Local Plan (DLP), containing planning policies and proposals for the future shape of St Albans District, is set to go out to public consultation.
The draft Detailed Local Plan (DLP), containing planning policies and proposals for the future shape of St Albans District, is set to go out to public consultation.
It follows the Council’s submission of the draft Strategic Local Plan (SLP) to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for approval in September.
Last night St Albans City and District Council’s Cabinet agreed that the DLP is ready for public consultation. It is expected this will start in mid-November.
The DLP provides the detail supporting the SLP. The SLP sets out overarching policies, principles and spatial vision for the District for the next 20 years.
The DLP contains detailed planning policies, maps and site allocations for different kinds of potential development, including housing, industry and supporting infrastructure. For example, it includes the maps which show the precise Green Belt boundaries consequent to changes put forward in the draft SLP.
Cllr Julian Daly, Leader of St Albans City and District Council, said: “The detail supports the draft Strategic Local Plan and is ready to be consulted on publicly. It is expected that the public consultation will begin in mid-November and go on to the week beginning 19 December.”
The draft SLP makes provision for 450 homes to be built annually and identifies four sites suitable for housing development. These are East of Hemel Hempstead (North), East of Hemel Hempstead (South), East of St Albans, and North West of Harpenden.
The Secretary of State has appointed a Planning Inspector, David Hogger, to establish whether the draft SLP is sound. The Inspector will hold an initial hearing on Wednesday 26 October in the Council Chamber at the Civic Centre, St Albans. A decision on exactly when to start the public consultation on the DLP is subject to the outcome of this initial hearing.
The Cabinet meeting on Thursday 20 October was webcast and the agenda and papers are available online.
