Out-Law / Your Daily Need-To-Know

South Somerset local plan found sound following further work

14 Jan 2015, 3:31 pm

A Somerset council's local plan has been found sound by an independent planning inspector, after the Council proposed significant changes to the plan following a suspension of examination.

South Somerset District Council requested a six-month suspension of the examination into its draft local plan in August 2013, after a planning inspector said the plan could not be found sound without "substantial further work". The inspector had identified three "significant areas of concern": the process followed in selecting the location of a sustainable urban extension (SUE) at Yeovil; the proposed direction of growth at Ilminster; and the evidence base for the Council's employment provision.

After carrying out further work, the Council proposed a series of modifications to the draft plan, which is intended to guide development in the district until 2028. The Council proposed to replace the single SUE initially allocated to the south and west of Yeovil with two SUEs to the south and to the north-east of the town. It suggested changing the direction of growth at Ilminster from the south-east to the north-west, and making clarifications with regard to employment land and housing provision in certain parts of the district.

The proposed modifications also included altered sustainable transport arrangements, an updated approach to gypsies and travellers and a commitment to an early review of housing and employment provision in Wincanton.

In a report dated 8 January (50-page / 461 KB PDF), independent planning inspector David Hogger said the plan provided "an appropriate basis for the planning of the district over the next 14 years", providing the modifications suggested by the Council were made.

The Council's deputy leader and portfolio holder for finance and spatial planning, Tim Carroll, said in a statement that the inspector's conclusions were "a major milestone" for the Council.

"The plan focuses on bringing much needed homes and jobs to the district in the right number and place and having the formal sign-off by the inspector puts the Council in a stronger position to make better decisions about the future of South Somerset and to resist inappropriate or speculative applications," said Carroll.

The Council said that it expected the adoption of the plan to be considered at a full council meeting on 5 March.