Peterborough Local Plan could be deemed ‘unsound’ due to lack of employment land

The Local Plan is the key document which allows local authorities to guide development in their areas, with around 20,000 new homes and 196 hectares of new employment land planned for Peterborough in the next 20 years.

Peterborough City Council’s cabinet members approved the final draft of the city’s Local Plan titled the ‘Proposed Submission’ on August 25, enabling a six-week consultation to take place before it is submitted to government for approval.

However, the process was put on hold after Conservative councillor Kirsty Knight, alongside her party colleagues, called in the cabinet decision due to concerns around two developments.

Ahead of the extraordinary scrutiny committee meeting on September 15, where cross-party members and co-optees will review the cabinet’s decision, the city council’s planning policy manager Gemma Wildman responded to the points made as part of the call-in.

Cllr Knight made the call-in request as she wanted a scrutiny committee to examine the evidence supporting the removal of the proposed 115.5 hectare industrial development for Drysides near Stanground from the Local Plan.

Ms Wildman said: “The decision to remove site LP61.5 and supporting Policy LP62 was taken following consideration of the evidence base, consultation responses, site constraints, deliverability concerns and the availability of reasonable alternatives.

“Whilst the allocation was originally identified as the preferred option to address employment land needs, cabinet concluded that the cumulative concerns raised regarding the site outweighed the benefits of its allocation at this stage of the Local Plan process.

“Given the absence of a suitable alternative site and the need to maintain progress on the Local Plan, it was considered appropriate to proceed with the plan and address the remaining employment land requirement through a future review process.”

The removal of the Drysides development reduced the total employment land provision within the Proposed Submission Local Plan to approximately 140 hectares, equivalent to around 71 per cent of the identified employment land requirement.

Ms Wildman said this was a key risk with the latest version of the plan, which is due to be submitted to government by December 31 this year and then reviewed by a planning inspector.

She added: “This could give rise to concerns during examination regarding the plan’s ability to support economic growth and deliver the council’s strategic ambitions.

“If the planning inspector concludes that employment needs have not been adequately addressed, there is a risk that modifications may be required or that elements of the plan could be found unsound.

“In addition, insufficient employment land provision may constrain future business investment, reduce opportunities for job creation, weaken alignment with regional growth strategies and necessitate an earlier review of the Local Plan to identify additional employment opportunities.

“While these risks can be partially mitigated through a commitment to an early review and ongoing strategic planning work, they remain material considerations for members when determining whether to submit the plan.”

Cllr Knight also wanted the scrutiny committee to establish whether the combined impact of 2,070 homes planned for the East of England Showground had been adequately assessed in relation to various pieces of infrastructure.

Ms Wildman responded: “The council considers that cumulative impacts have been appropriately assessed through the Local Plan preparation process, supported by the Transport Assessment, Infrastructure Delivery Plan and other evidence base documents.

“The Proposed Submission Plan contains strengthened strategic and site specific policy requirements to ensure that development within the wider East of England Showground area is comprehensively planned, properly phased and supported by the necessary infrastructure.

“The Local Plan establishes the framework through which cumulative impacts can be managed.

“Detailed infrastructure requirements, mitigation measures and delivery mechanisms will be fully considered and tested through future planning applications, supported by detailed technical assessments and consultation with infrastructure providers and statutory consultees.”

The scrutiny committee may either refer the matter back to cabinet for reconsideration on October 1 or decide to take no further action, in which case the original executive decision will be released from call-in and effective immediately.