Stroud district local plan examination update
Stroud District Local Plan Examination Update - January 2023
Details of the Stroud District Council Local Plan Examination have recently been announced. Members may be aware that GCC objected to the draft Local Plan at the Regulation 19 stage in July 2021 and consider it to be ‘unsound’. The objection was based on a lack of credible transport evidence to justify the proposed strategic allocations at Sharpness (2,400 dwellings rising to 5,000) and Whaddon (3,000 dwellings).
Fundamentally the transport evidence presented in the Plan wasn’t considered sufficient or credible to offer any reassurance that these allocations wouldn’t have a significant adverse impact on the local road network. The proposed passenger rail link at Sharpness isn’t considered viable and the impact of the proposed allocation at Whaddon on local roads, particularly St Barnabas roundabout, hasn’t been considered in sufficient detail.
These proposed allocations make up a significant contribution to the overall housing requirement in Stroud District up to 2040 as set out in the draft Plan. Therefore, GCC officers consider that the development strategy is unsustainable and therefore the draft Plan is considered to be ‘unsound’ according to criteria set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Determining whether a draft local plan is sound or unsound is at the heart of the local plan examination process.
It is anticipated that GCC officers and consultants will attend the hearings to present evidence, subject to being invited by the Inspectors, primarily on highways / transport matters. The necessary delegated authorisations for officers to appear at the hearings has now been completed by GCC’s Legal team. The Examination will be held virtually on Zoom. Hearings start on 7th March 2023 and last 5 weeks spread over various dates in March and May 2023.
More information on the Examination process can be found at:
If you would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Lead Officer: Simon Excell – Assistant Director – Planning and Economic Development