FAQ Local Plan

Below the Council have answered a series of frequently asked questions in relation to the Local Plan, in terms of both how it has been prepared and what will happen next.  If you have any queries about the below then please do not hesitate to contact the Planning and Housing Policy Team on 01524 582383 or  planningpolicy@lancaster.gov.uk .

There is a statutory responsible on every local planning authority (i.e. Lancaster City Council) to prepare a Local Plan which will guide development over a 15 to 20 year period. The aim of the local plan is to ensure that future development needs can be met, providing certainty to both local communities and other key stakeholders. The Plan is not merely about providing certainty over development, many of the designations made within it seek to protect important areas from harm, for example sites which have environmental, economic and social value.

Without a Local Plan development could occur anywhere, there would be no management of land-use, the quality of development would not be managed and the implications of development would never be considered.

The Local Plan can be one single document or can be made up of a range of different documents which tackle different issues. In the case of Lancaster, the City Council has prepared a suite of documents that forms the Local Plan for Lancaster District.

The Council have previously adopted area-specific plans for both Central Morecambe (2014) and the Arnside & Silverdale AONB (2019). The  Local Plan for Lancaster is comprised of the Strategic Policies & Land Allocations Development Plan Document (DPD) and a reviewed Development Management DPD, and was formally adopted on 29 ^th  July 2020.

Having a Local Plan in place enables the authority to plan development in a proactive manner, ensuring that the needs of current and future generations are met in a sustainable and appropriate way. This includes making sure that the development proposed meets the needs of the district and that critical elements of new development, such as new infrastructure come forward in the right place and at the right time.

This approach is much better than the reactionary one which is taken to planning applications which would have to be determined in the absence of a robust and up-to-date Local Plan. In such a case any development would be assessed against national planning requirement which do not allow for consideration of local characteristics and issues. The consequences could be that development needs are not properly met or that needs are met in a unsustainable manner via inappropriate development.

The Strategic Policies & Land Allocations DPD is the basis of the whole Local Plan; it sets out a series of strategic policies that will form basis for plan making, land allocation and decision making over the coming years. It also sets targets and requirements for development and allocations land to meet those development needs. It also identifies land which is worthy of protection for its environmental, economic or social value.

The Development Management DPD sets out generic planning policies for a range of planning topic areas. The policies contained in this DPD are applicable to all types of development all across the district (unless area specific DPDs such as the Central Morecambe or Arnside & Silverdale AONB dictate otherwise). The DPD is used by Council Officers and Members to determine planning applications.

A 'Sustainability Appraisal' is undertaken for every Development Plan Document. Sustainability Appraisals help to ensure that the social, economic and environmental effects of policies and plans are understood and fully taken into consideration.  A Sustainability Appraisal report will company each published stage of a Development Plan Document, including the final Submission version, so that people can view and comment on the findings of the Sustainability Appraisal. An 'Appropriate Assessment' establishes whether proposals within the plan are likely to have significant effects on any sites of international biodiversity importance.  Firstly, a screening process is carried out under the Habitats Regulations. The screening will identify whether it is considered likely that there will be any significant effects.  When the screening cannot say with certainty that there will be no significant effects, an Appropriate Assessment will look at the likely effects and how they can be avoided. If they cannot be avoided, the plan or policy that would cause the harmful effects will not be allowed to come into force, unless there are exceptional circumstances. These assessments will accompany the relevant plan at the consultation and publication stages.

The introduction of the Localism Act in 2011 placed the responsibility of ‘duty to co-operate’ on local authorities. Where planning issues cross administrative boundaries they must jointly address areas of common interest. Lancaster City Council is continuing to work closely with neighbouring authorities, Lancashire County Council and other bodies, such as utility providers, to help prepare a draft Local Plan which ensures that any local or cross-boundary impacts have been fully considered.

As far as possible the draft Local Plan reflects a collective vision and a set of agreed priorities for the sustainable development of the area, including those contained in any plans that have been made in neighbouring authorities. Prior to the submission of a local development plan to the secretary of state, the council will prepare a duty to co-operate statement of compliance which will set out how the authority has discussed cross-boundary matters with their neighbours.

Local Plan documents undergo significant scrutiny and examination before they are ready to be adopted for planning purposes. Work on the Strategic Policies & Land Allocation DPD and the reviewed Development Management DPD began in 2014 and have involved a number of public consultations and a public examination. The content of the DPDs (i.e. policies and allocations) must be supported by evidence that can justify their inclusion within the Plan.

The final stage of the preparation process is for the Council to adopt the Local Plan for planning purposes. This involves a decision at Full Council which all Members can take part in. The Local Plan (and the decision over adoption) was debated on 29 July 2020 where it was resolved to adopt the Local Plan for planning purposes. The Council formally adopted the Plan on 29 July.

Following the decision to adopt the plan, there is an 8 week period where people who feel aggrieved by the Council’s decision to adopt the plan to appeal to the High Court. More details on this process can be found on the Council’s Adoption process.

A Local Plan should typically last for a period of between 15 - 20 years and in allocating land to development, it should seek to ensure that sufficient land is identified to meet the needs of such a period.

We have published the new digital hub for the full review of the Local Plan. The language in the hub is intended to be accessible to all audiences - it avoids jargon and acronyms.  We ask for feedback on every page. If something is not being made clear then we can easily change the text to explain it better. The hub will evolve as the new plan is prepared.  What we are doing here is really trying to change the engagement concept from a paper-based approach of publishing a document and waiting for responses in a set time-period, to an on-going and interactive activity.   Please take a look - it has gone live. 

The Local Plan is available to read on the Council’s website along with all the supporting documentation and evidence base. Hard copies of the Local Plan can be made available on request at the Planning Offices by contacting us on 01524 582383 or at  planningpolicy@lancaster.gov.uk .

For further information and advice on the adopted Local Plan or the Local Plan review and the wider planning processes, please contact 

• By email at  planningpolicy@lancaster.gov.uk 
• By telephone on 01524 582383
• By post to: Planning and Housing Policy Team, Lancaster City Council, Lancaster Town Hall, PO Box 4, Dalton Square, Lancaster, LA1 1QR.

 planningpolicy@lancaster.gov.uk