Census results force no change to growth targets in Vision 2031
Tuesday, 7th May 2013.
Planners are to make no change to their long-term policies on development despite the recent 2011 census results showing a significantly larger population increase in the last ten years than predicted.
The future of Haverhill for the next 20 years is being planned in a series of documents which make up Vision 2031, and St Edmundsbury Borough Council planners have come up with their final version.
There are some changes after public consultation on their draft version last year, and, assuming it is approved by the council later this month it goes out for its final public consultation from June to August.
The council's planning policy director Ian Poole said 'significant' changes had been made in response to public consultation, and also in the light of the census results.
However, there is no change in overall growth targets, and the changes in Haverhill are limited.
There has been some tweaking of development areas in the north-east Haverhill area which is scheduled to cater for a further 2,500 people over the next 20 years with development of the Wilsey land, in response to comments.
But the main changes are at the former Castle Hill Middle School land, where proposed development has been to the frontage of the playing field, rather than the actual school site, and the deletion of local facilities at the junction of Chivers Road and Chimswell Way.
This time, comments fromthe public will go direct to the Government’s planning inspector who will decide whether to accept the council’s version for adoption, or whether to make changes, based on the comments from the public.
Council leader Cllr John Griffiths said it would be a chance for people to tell the inspector directly whether they thought the plan was sound or not and why.
He said they did not want people to think because they had objected before and not achieved any change that it was a waste of time commenting again. This time the comments were to an independent outsider in the form of a planning inspector.
Mr Poole confirmed that planning inspectors almost never accepted plans in their entirety without requiring some changes.
Official comments cannot be made before the start of the consultation period, and hyave to be limited to two areas - whether the plan is legal and whether it is sound.
Developers are likely to be the ones to want to challenge legality, but any residents can claim the plan is unsound on the basis of specific objections to areas of development.
The future of Haverhill for the next 20 years is being planned in a series of documents which make up Vision 2031, and St Edmundsbury Borough Council planners have come up with their final version.
There are some changes after public consultation on their draft version last year, and, assuming it is approved by the council later this month it goes out for its final public consultation from June to August.
The council's planning policy director Ian Poole said 'significant' changes had been made in response to public consultation, and also in the light of the census results.
However, there is no change in overall growth targets, and the changes in Haverhill are limited.
There has been some tweaking of development areas in the north-east Haverhill area which is scheduled to cater for a further 2,500 people over the next 20 years with development of the Wilsey land, in response to comments.
But the main changes are at the former Castle Hill Middle School land, where proposed development has been to the frontage of the playing field, rather than the actual school site, and the deletion of local facilities at the junction of Chivers Road and Chimswell Way.
This time, comments fromthe public will go direct to the Government’s planning inspector who will decide whether to accept the council’s version for adoption, or whether to make changes, based on the comments from the public.
Council leader Cllr John Griffiths said it would be a chance for people to tell the inspector directly whether they thought the plan was sound or not and why.
He said they did not want people to think because they had objected before and not achieved any change that it was a waste of time commenting again. This time the comments were to an independent outsider in the form of a planning inspector.
Mr Poole confirmed that planning inspectors almost never accepted plans in their entirety without requiring some changes.
Official comments cannot be made before the start of the consultation period, and hyave to be limited to two areas - whether the plan is legal and whether it is sound.
Developers are likely to be the ones to want to challenge legality, but any residents can claim the plan is unsound on the basis of specific objections to areas of development.
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