Latest news with #localplan
BBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Consultation expected on Medway draft local development plan
The latest draft of a document outlining how Medway will develop in the coming years could soon be Council's cabinet is expected to approve the required six-week consultation period for the published plan - a major document designating what land will be used for and assessing infrastructure needs - on 3 plans typically last 15 years, but the last time the council approved one was 2003, according to the Local Democracy Reporting attempts to approve a local plan failed and the current council administration says it is a priority to put a new one in place before 2027. The latest version of the document follows feedback from Medway residents and businesses in a previous councillors vote to proceed with the process, the plan will be published on 26 June and six-week consultation will commence before it is submitted to the government for approved by the secretary of state on schedule, the local plan will be in place until a local plan, councillors have less power to reject planning voted down a motion in April about the future of Chatham Docks, which is covered by the plan, after suggestions it could collapse Medway Council's local plan over proposals for the docks have caused issued for previous attempts to get a local plan approved.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plans for thousands of homes in Rochford district 'insane'
An MP has said a leaked version of a council's local plan is "insane" and "cannot possibly be allowed to continue".Mark Francois said Rochford District Council's report, which is due to be made public in weeks, plans for 17,000 new homes in the authority said government policy required it to build "at least 689 new homes per year every year" and it was considering the "feasibility" of the numbers government has said it is committed to delivering 1.5 million new homes this Parliament. The BBC has seen part of the council's 'Local plan workshop: progress update' report of 22 April lists dozens of sites for new homes up to 2040 and beyond in the would be 1500 homes to the north of Southend as part of a new town development with 3500 built after report includes 24 locations in Rayleigh for 3,679 new homes to be built. The largest sites would be 730 homes at Wolsey Park and 600 at Lubards would be 1500 homes at Dollyman's Farm in Rawreth with a further 500 to be built after 2040. Hullbridge could have 1000 new homes built over the next decade, as could Great Wakering with 820 homes being considered at Tithe Park off Poynters Lane. "This draft plan, a copy of which I have now seen, is utterly unacceptable," said Rayleigh and Wickford Conservative MP Francois."With our local roads already maxed out, and hospitals full to bursting there is absolutely no way on earth our semi-rural district could possibly accommodate 17,000 new houses, including a new town on the Rochford-Southend border." Targets 'more than double' Rochford Council, which is Lib Dem-controlled, said: "Options are currently being tested for their impacts on the environment, transport network and other facilities and this evidence will be presented to councillors who will make a decision on the draft local plan in due course."The council did not comment on whether 17,000 new homes were being planned for the district. Local authorities are legally obliged to have a local plan for new housing and current local plan for Rochford dates back to 2011 and includes plans for 250 new homes a year in the government has reintroduced mandatory housing targets for local authorities and it has more than doubled for Rochford compared to its target a decade areas like Southend and Basildon need to build around 1,000 new homes every council said there would be two rounds of public consultation on new housing plans before they go to government to be approved. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Stroud District Council leader steps down after three years
The leader of Stroud District Council is stepping down after almost three years. Catherine Braun, Green councillor for Wotton-under-Edge, will officially leave the position at the next full council meeting on 22 May – but said she is hoping to secure the deputy position instead. A new council leader will be elected at the same meeting on Thursday."I felt like at this point in time I wanted to get a better balance with my day job, so I can have more time for my local projects as well," Ms Braun said. As well as resigning as council leader, Ms Braun has also stood down as Stroud District Council's Green leader, instead becoming the group's for Minchinhampton, Chloe Turner, has been elected as the new Green leader and will put herself forward for the position of council leader next week. Ms Braun has listed the creation of the Stroud District Council plan - which has a focus on the environment, housing, health and the local economy - as among her greatest achievements while in the role, alongside promoting a culture of "cooperative working" within the has also acknowledged her successor will face some significant challenges, including with the council's local plan, which the planning inspectorate last week asked the council to withdraw for the second time this year."The local plan process has taken longer than we could possibly have expected," Ms Braun said."We are committed to taking this local plan through to the end of the process, so we will not be withdrawing it."It's going to take some time, but I think we're almost there." 'Future transitions' The new leader will also have to grapple with the issue of local government reorganisation, which will see the largest shake up of Gloucestershire's councils in a county's seven council leaders are currently debating whether to move to either one or two 'super councils' which will be responsible for running all services in Braun said there is a lot of work to do on future transitions."Local government reorganisation is going to continue for some time and it's really important we have some political shaping to that in terms of what any new council structures would look like," she added.
