Statement of Community Involvement
Executive Summary
This Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) explains how communities and stakeholders can get involved in the preparation of Council planning documents like the Local Plan and the consideration of individual planning applications.
Community Involvement in the Local Plan
The Council has started the process of reviewing the Local Plan for the district, this will follow six stages:
- Stage 1: Consultation on 'Preferred Options'
- Stage 2: Consultation on the 'Proposed Submission Draft'
- Stage 3: Examination of the Local Plan by an independent Planning Inspector
- Stage 4: Consultation on modifications to the Local Plan (if required by the Inspector)
- Stage 5: Receipt of the Inspector's report
- Stage 6: Adoption of the Local Plan
The most extensive programme of public engagement will be at stage 1 'preferred options'. The Council will hold exhibitions and send leaflets to residents in communities affected by the most significant development proposals and will undertake more general publicity in other areas. Residents directly affected by these developments will be notified directly either by letter or a site notice. All the relevant Local Plan documents will be made available to view on the Council's website, at Council offices and at libraries. For the stage 2 'proposed submission draft' consultation, all residents that commented on the plan at stage 1 will be invited to make any final comments before the plan is submitted for examination by an Inspector (stage 3). At stages 4 to 6, residents that commented at either stage 1 or 2 will be directly notified about the progress of the Local Plan through the final stages of the process.
Community Involvement on Planning Applications
The Council will encourage developers to engage with communities before they submit planning applications for development so they can take on board residents' views and, where practical, incorporate their ideas or address their concerns by making changes to their initial proposals. For major developments generally involving the development of 10 or more homes or 1,000 or more square metres of commercial floor space, the Council will expect developers to undertake pre-application community engagement, but for other smaller developments it will be encouraged. When the Council receives a planning application, the Council will notify residents and other stakeholders likely to be affected by the proposal.
Community Involvement in Supplementary Planning Documents or Neighbourhood Plans
If the Council produces any Supplementary Planning Documents to explain or provide further detail on policies or development proposals in the Local Plan, they will be published for consultation and the level of community engagement and publicity will vary depending on the subject of the document and the likely level of public interest. For Neighbourhood Plans prepared by Town or Parish Councils or other community groups, those bodies will be expected to undertake community engagement following some of the principles and techniques set out in this document.