Issue - meetings

Background:

This report provided the timetable and programme for the preparation of the new Medway Local Plan in a Local Development Scheme, set out in section 4 and Appendix 1 to the report. This included the scope of the formal stages of consultation that would need to be carried out before the proposed Plan was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination.

The report stated that the Council had previously carried out two rounds of formal consultation on the emerging Plan. This included consultation on ‘Issues and Options’ in 2016, which set out the key matters that the new Plan needed to address, including projected housing growth and boosting the local economy. This report provided details of the outcome of the consultation on ‘Development Options’ undertaken in early 2017, between January and May.

The proposals consulted on included a draft vision and strategic objectives, policy approaches and four high level scenarios for how growth could be accommodated in Medway. The four scenarios considered different approaches to development:

·         maximising the potential of urban regeneration;

·         suburban expansion;

·         Hoo Peninsula focus; and

·         urban regeneration and rural town.

The report specified that over 330 general written responses had been received and over 650 people had attended the exhibition organised by the Planning Service, details of which were set out at section 6 and Appendix 2 to the report.

Reasons:

The Local Development Scheme, 2018 provides an updated programme for the preparation of the new Medway Local Plan.