Amendments to Core Strategy

Amendments to Publication Core Strategy March 2010
The Council undertook consultation on the Amendments to the Publication Core Strategy during February to April 2010.  Representations received as a result of consultation are now being assessed and will be taken into consideration in progressing the document to submission stage.

Since consultation closed the Government have announced the abolition of the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS). As RSS formed part of the Local Development Framework, an assessment must be undertaken of the impacts its abolition will have on the Core Strategy. This work is currently ongoing.

It is hoped that the Core Strategy will be presented to Council on 8th September 2010 and approved for submission to Government on 27th September 2010.  Any amendments to the timetable will be posted on this web-site.

Background
The Core Strategy was originally published for consultation under Regulation 27 in May 2009.  At that time a lot of comments were received regarding policy CAS 3.2 - Development of a Strategic Rail Freight Interchange (SRFI) at the former Parkside Colliery. It became clear that this issue needed to be addressed further before proceeding to submission of the Core Strategy to the Secretary of State under Regulation 30.

Following work to independently examine the need, scale, deliverability and viability of a SRFI in the Newton-le-Willows area, policy CAS 3.2 has been redrafted.  These focused changes have also necessitated focused changes in policies CSS1 and CE1, with unrelated focused changes to policies CAS 2 and CH1 to address comments and changed circumstances.

Together with the focused changes, we took the opportunity to address other minor issues to either correct spelling, punctuation and grammar or explain policy, to improve legibility or ensure the Core Strategy is up to date. Consultation on this stage is now complete and a report of the representations received will be made available at the time of submission. A Consultation Statement outlining previous consultation methods, and the issues raised is also available.

The Publication Core Strategy Tracked Changes Version - March 2010 applies the proposed amendments to the publication version. The Amendments to Publication Core Strategy March 2010 outlines the changes only and the reasons why they were considered necessary.

Sustainability Appraisal & Habitats Regulation Assessment
The Sustainability Appraisal (SA) and Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) have been reviewed in light of the changes made. The conclusion of this process has been that no significant changes have been made to the strategy or delivery mechanisms that require further detailed SA or HRA assessment at this stage.  An expanatory note has been added to the original SA and HRA reports to reflect this view. This is also available for comment.

If you have any queries regarding the Core Strategy DPD or the Local Development Framework in general, please contact: 01744 676190 or you can email us at planningpolicy@sthelens.gov.uk.

Supporting Documents

Publication Core Strategy Tracked Changes Version - March 2010
Amendments to Publication Core Strategy - March 2010
Evidence Base
Statement of Representations Procedure March 2010
Consultation Statement March 2010
Core Strategy Response Form March 2010
Response Form Guidance Note