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The community involvement procedures are set out in the District’s Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) (pdf, 340kb), which all planning authorities are required to produce in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004). Achieving high levels of community involvement throughout the production of the Local Development Framework documents is paramount to producing a robust plan for the District that is supported by its residents, workforce and visitors. Involvement, particularly at early stages in the process, enables local communities, stakeholders and other organisations to contribute to shaping their environment and addressing key challenges that affect them.
The Development Plan Documents (DPDs) are the documents within the Local Development
Framework that will contain the policies steering development in Babergh. They are subject to rigorous procedures of community involvement, consultation and independent examination. The DPDs to be produced include the Core Strategy, Site Specific Allocations (and the Proposals Map) and a Development Control Policies DPD. The full list of documents to be produced, along with timetables for their production, is shown in the Local Development Scheme. (pdf, 1.40mb)
The Core Strategy: Issues and Options Consultations
In Spring/Summer 2008, Babergh will begin the production of the first of these DPDs - the Core Strategy (Issues and Options). The Core Strategy will set out the general spatial vision and objectives for delivery through the Local Development Framework. It relates mainly to the development and use of land and will outline the strategy for delivering strategic development needs in housing, employment, leisure, transport, retail and other important areas in Babergh. It must also address critical matters on how essential infrastructure will be delivered.
Key point to note: the Core Strategy looks at the bigger picture for the District, not just in terms of land use planning but from social, economic and environmental perspectives as well. The Core Strategy will not consider the specific, fine details of any issue or individual development but will instead look strategically at these matters.
Through consultation with key stakeholders and the use of the wide evidence base developed
in preparation for the process, the Issues and Options stage will identify the key strategic issues facing the District, and will offer options for addressing those issues. No preference will be shown for any one option above another at this stage; it is currently about identifying the key strategic issues and potential ways of addressing them. The comments received in response to the Issues and Options consultation will be used to produce the Preferred Options submission document (see the Local Development Scheme (pdf,1.40mb)for details of the production timetable).
How to respond to open consultations
Consultations Currently Open: None
Babergh District Council has recently invested in a new online consultation package which will make the consultation process quicker, more efficient and more sustainable. All consultation documents, including adopted DPDs, can be viewed through the online consultation pages, and representations can be made on any documents that are open for public consultation at that time. Guidance notes (pdf, 85kb) have been produced to assist new users in making representations. Once representations have been made, they can be viewed online by all visitors to the consultation pages within two working days. The system also enables agents to make representations on behalf of a number of clients separately.
Throughout the process, the website will contain the most up to date information on what documents are available for consultation and what stage we are at in the production of each of the documents.
In circumstances where the online consultation system is not available to anyone wishing to make a representation, written representations on all current consultation documents will also be accepted.
They should be sent to:
Planning Policy
Babergh District Council
Corks Lane
Hadleigh
IPSWICH
IP7 6SJ
Please note: no representations can be treated as confidential. All submissions will be publicly available to view by anyone with an interest in the preparation of planning documents that relate to Babergh District.
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