Council revises local plan timetable owing to nutrient neutrality issues

Winchester City Council’s cabinet has approved a revised local development scheme (LDS) for producing the area’s next local plan at a meeting earlier this month (August), citing nutrient neutrality issues amongst the reasons why.

The previous LDS set out an expectation that the local plan would be adopted in August 2024, following submission for examination to the Planning Inspectorate this November.

The revised LDA sets out that the plan will be submitted for examination in the third quarter of 2024 (October-December), with adoption expected in the third quarter of 2025.

According to a statement on the council’s website, the problem of nutrient neutrality is one of the reasons for the delay. The report considered by the council states that the council is “currently unable to identify a deliverable solution for nutrient neutrality to deliver the housing in the local plan”.

It continues: “This is a key area of work that still needs to be resolved over the coming months to meet the requirements of the Habitat Regulations Assessment. As a result of this, the local plan timetable has been revised to allow more time for this to happen.”

Winchester City Council is one of 26 local authorities in the country that needs to address both phosphates and nitrates.

The Planner has previously reported that nutrient neutrality issues are affecting 74 local authorities, with nutrient pollution being an urgent problem for freshwater habitats and estuaries that are home to wetland birds, fish and insects. Increased levels of nitrogen and phosphorus, for example, can speed the growth of certain plants, which disrupts natural processes and damages wildlife.

Other issues cited are:

• Town and employment study: This last took place before the Covid-19 pandemic. The impact on the high streets and the economic ramifications “were far more far-reaching than were first imagined”, states the report. Therefore, there is a need to ensure that these studies are updated.
• Strategic transport assessment: This transport modelling work is provided by Hampshire County Council’s trading arm. It requires reassessing to take account of new travel trends post-pandemic, said the council. The timetable for completion is longer than originally anticipated and the county council needs time to complete this.
• Response to Regulation 18 consultation: With 3,438 written comments submitted for the local plan policies and site allocations that were included in the Regulation 18 consultation, the city council explains that it has taken longer to analyse and identify changes to the draft policies than was originally allowed for in the current LDS. Additional time has been given.
• Statement of community involvement: This should be revised every five years. Time will be taken this autumn to ensure that it is updated and relevant to “achieve the widest possible engagement” before moving to the Regulation 19 stage of the plan. This will be revised and consulted on during autumn 2023.

Jackie Porter, cabinet member for place and the local plan, said: “This revised timetable shows that we are on track to produce a sound and evidence-based local plan, despite the uncertainties around national policies and legislation. This robust approach means that we can achieve the best outcome for our district – future development that is managed, responsible and in keeping with its surroundings. Our local plan is not developed in isolation, and we are rightly giving proper consideration of the feedback we have received to date and I now look forward to working towards the next stage of the plan and continuing our engagement with local communities.’

More information can be found on the local plan website.

21 Aug 2023

Laura Edgar, The Planner

Our planning news is published in association with The Planner, the official magazine of the Royal Town Planning Institute.