As reported by News OnTheWight last week, the Cabinet Member for Planning and Enforcement, Cllr Paul Fuller, will request that when Full Council meets this week, it allows more time for Cabinet to consider the implications of a new national planning consultation on both the content and programme of the Draft Island Planning Strategy (IPS).
This will be a revision of the motion agreed in November 2022.
This is as a result of December’s Ministerial Statement from Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he announced a number of possible changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in relation to housing, local plans and other issues.
New Government consultation
Following this announcement, a new ‘NPPF Prospectus’ consultation was launched by government on 22nd December 2022, running until 2nd March 2023 and can be found on the DLUHC Website.
A link can also be found on the IWC Website.
Detailed review
Over the coming weeks, the IWC will be reviewing in detail both the questionnaire on reforms to national planning policy and associated NPPF draft text.
The NPPF consultation outlines a series of proposed amendments to national planning policy including (but not restricted to):
- Calculation of housing need;
- Five year housing land supply;
- Housing Delivery Test;
- Presumption in favour of sustainable development;
- The ‘tests of soundness’ for plan making;
- Provision of social rent homes and housing for the elderly;
- Introduction of National Development Management Policies
Outcome of consultation
It is expected that a revised NPPF will be published shortly after the close of the consultation in Spring 2023, at which point the council will have to make planning decisions and prepare the local plan in line with the new NPPF, hence the necessary additional time needed to consider the Draft IPS.
Councillor briefings
Cllr Fuller will be arranging briefings for Isle of Wight councillors during the rest of January 2023 to discuss the content of the NPPF consultation and what some of the key issues may be for the island as a whole and the progress of the Draft Island Planning Strategy.
Fuller: Imperative council fully appreciates impact on Island Plan
Cllr Fuller is also encouraging as many people as possible to get involved in the consultation,
“The government is proposing to make changes to national planning policy, some of which could be in place as early as Spring 2023 and some of which could have significant impacts for the Island, therefore it is imperative that the council fully appreciates what impact these changes may have on the preparation of our local plan.
“This is why I will be asking Full Council next week to allow more time for the Draft Island Planning Strategy to come back before Full Council.
“It is also important for people who have been interested and involved in the Draft Island Planning Strategy process to think about responding to the Government consultation to get their views across at a national level.”
Image: christa dodoo Image: Caroline Legg under CC BY 2.0
