Planning Policy

January 2021: Local Plan - A Review of the Options

On 13 January 2021 members of Cabinet resolved to undertake the production of a new Borough Local Plan independent of Stoke-on-Trent City Council. This followed Cabinets decision on 9 December 2020 to carry out a consultation to review the Joint Local Plan and determine the suitability of proceeding with it, or to start work on a new Borough Local Plan. The latest Cabinet Report for the Local Plan update can be viewed following this link.

This consultation has now closed. The Council would like to thank everyone who submitted a representation to express their views on this matter. All responses are summarised within the latest Cabinet Report following the link as shown above.

The planning policy sections of the website are currently being updated to reflect this new position. All contacts registered on the Joint Local Plan Consultation Database will be contacted in due course.

If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact the Planning Policy Team by email: planningpolicy@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk, or telephone: 01782 742467.

December 2020: Local Plan - A Review of the Options

The Council has been preparing a Joint Local Plan (the JLP) with Stoke-on-Trent to provide development plan policies and site allocations up to 2037.

In the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak in 2020 and the opportunities that may arise following the UK's separation from the European Union in 2021, the Council wishes to secure comments and opinions from those engaged in the development plan process as to the suitability of continuing with a joint plan with Stoke-on-Trent or undertaking work on the provision of a new Borough plan which will be more aligned to the needs and growth aspirations of businesses and residents in the Borough of Newcastle.

On 9 December Cabinet formally decided to undertake a review, and requested a second report in January. If you have any opinions or comments you wish to make on progressing with the joint local plan or commencing work on a Borough only Plan, your comments would be appreciated by 5 January.

The Local Plan Update report Cabinet for 9 December can be viewed here and you can provide comments by email to the following address: planningpolicy@newcastle-staffs.gov.uk

Previous Updates:

Joint Local Plan

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council are working together to prepare a new Joint Local Plan that will guide the future development of both areas up to 2037. This will replace the existing Core Spatial Strategy and the remaining saved policies from the Newcastle-under-Lyme Local Plan 2011 and Stoke-on-Trent City Plan 2001.

Public involvement at key stages in the Plan’s preparation is very important. So far there have been three consultations:

Issues (February 2016) which presented issues affecting the area
Strategic Options (July 2017) which presented options for employment and housing development based on different growth scenarios
Preferred Options (February 2018) which presented a preferred growth scenario, options for employment and housing development (including preferred sites) and strategic options for retail and leisure

A response to the most recent consultation is being prepared and there will be more public consultation before the final plan is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination.

Issues Consultation Document

Issues Consultation and Responses Document

Strategic Options Consultation Document

Strategic Options Consultation and Responses document

Preferred Options Consultation Document

Character areas maps of initial preferred option sites for Newcastle-under-Lyme: Newcastle Town; Newcastle North; Newcastle South; Kidsgrove; Keele, Silverdale and Thistleberry; Loggerheads; Madeley; Betley, Balterley and Wrinehill; Audley and Bignall End; Chapel and Hill Chorlton, Maer, Aston and Whitmore

A summary guide and FAQ sheet are also available.

To see the supporting evidence please see the Joint Local Plan Supporting evidence page

Joint Local Plan Consultation Database

If you wish to be informed about future consultations on the Joint Local Plan by email notification, please sign up to be notified on the Stoke Council website using this link:

Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Core Spatial Strategy status

The adopted Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent Core Spatial Strategy will remain part of the approved development plan for the area, as will the saved policies of the Newcastle-under-Lyme Local Plan 2011, until the new Joint Local Plan is adopted. Planning applications will continue to be assessed against these policies although the weight given to them is dependent upon their closeness to policies within the National Planning Policy Framework.

Withdrawal of the Newcastle-under-Lyme Site Allocations and Policies Local Plan

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council decided to withdraw the Newcastle-under-Lyme Site Allocations and Policies Local Plan on 11 December 2013 and instead prepare the new Joint Local Plan with Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Following the decision to prepare the new Joint Local Plan, the Borough Council has suspended its work on introducing a community infrastructure levy charge. This will be kept under review as work on the Joint Local Plan progresses.

The work of the planning policy team

The planning policy business unit is mainly involved in writing sets of policies which state the unique social, environmental and economic characteristics of the borough and aim to direct investment to deliver spaces, places and buildings which improve quality of life.

All planning applications in the borough should be determined in accordance with the Development Plan. This currently consists of the Core Spatial Strategy and saved Local Plan policies. Further information about the current Development Plan can be found by following the link below:

Current Development Plan

Monitoring

Monitoring is an important part of evidence-based policy making. It plays a major role in the development, revision and adjustment of local planning policies, ensuring that the policies are up to date and reflect changing issues and challenges.

Councils can publish their monitoring information in an "Authority Monitoring Report" (AMR), which can be published on an annual basis if the local planning authority wishes to do so. The progress towards preparing individual planning policy documents, progress on policies and related targets (national and local) including evidence of a five-year land supply are all topics that can be covered within an AMR. Between 2005 and 2011 the Borough Council published an AMR on an annual basis. From 2012 onwards the Five Year Housing Land Supply Statement has been published on an annual basis, without the need for a full AMR. All of these reports can be viewed via the following link: Planning Policy Monitoring Information

Further Information

For more information on the work done by the planning policy team, please follow the links below –

Last updated 27 January 2021