Housing plan infrastructure to be considered by planning inspector

Telford & Wrekin Council are currently consulting the public on their draft Local Plan, which aims to find sites for 8,800 homes to be built between 2020 and 2040.

This will be accompanied by an Infrastructure Delivery Plan which will consider the need for new and expanded schools, play and recreation facilities and improvements to highway infrastructure.

Councillor Peter Scott, ward member for Newport West, said ‘from what he can see’ the council has received ‘thousands’ of objections about sites proposed for housing in the draft plan.

He said a lot of comments about the Local Plan ask about the infrastructure needed to build the proposed homes.

He said: “Many people are concerned that the extra influx of people into the borough will lead to a reduction in services that are already overstretched.”

Speaking at Thursday night’s full council meeting, councillor Scott asked for an outline to what plans were being considered by the council for school places, health services and roads in the borough.

In response councillor Richard Overton, cabinet member for homes, said that a ‘strong theme’ from the consultation feedback was the need to provide infrastructure to support new development.

“A plan-led approach provides a long-term forward view for the future of the borough and provides our partners with the ability to plan their services with increased confidence,” said councillor Overton.

“In the absence of a Local Plan it would be very difficult to plan for new infrastructure with the risk of developments coming forward piece-meal and gradually building pressure on services.”

Cllr Overton added that following the current consultation closing they would consider all the comments received and produce a Infrastructure Delivery Plan.

“A key strand of work to inform the production of the next version of the plan is the identification of specific infrastructure required to support the sites that are allocated in the plan,” he added.

“This includes new and expanded schools, play and recreation facilities as well as improvements to highway infrastructure.

“(Council) officers are also working with external partners such as the NHS Integrated Care board to understand the impact on GP services and how any new capacity could be addressed.

“The council will be producing an Infrastructure Delivery Plan as part of the next stage of the Local Plan preparation.”

Councillor Overton added that the Infrastructure Delivery Plan will be subject to examination by an independent planning inspector as part of the Local Plan.

In response councillor Scott highlighted that Michael Gove, the Government’s Secretary of State for housing and communities, had said that ‘housing numbers would become advisory’.

“I know your also getting lots of objections at the moment, thousands of them from what I can see, to some of the proposals that are in the consultation,” he added.

“You started of with a number of 8,800, do you think that number will be affected by Michael Gove’s pronouncement and the number of objections that are coming in?”

In response to the question, councillor Overton replied: “With Michael Gove, most of the things he says don’t always get into the inspector’s book.

“He comes out with some words, but actually councils are asked to review their Local Plans and to formulate their housing needs as required by the calculations which are given in the Local Plan.

“We have to put forward that evidence to the planning inspector. If we don’t give the right numbers to meet our housing need then the plan will be thrown out.

“If you look at Shropshire (Council) they’ve got to do their plan again. We have to follow the legislation with the Local Plan and the numbers of housing need that we’ve calculated.”

The Telford and Wrekin draft Local Plan consultation is open until 5pm on Wednesday, January 31.

For more information about the consultation, to view the draft Local Plan and to have your say, visit their website: telfordandwrekinlocalplan.co.uk