A NEW document outlining where housing should be built in future across Lichfield and Burntwood could be delayed.
Lichfield District Council has been working on a new Local Plan which outlines development for the area through to 2043.
But a report to the local authority’s cabinet has suggested the proposed publication date could be pushed back from 2027 to 2029.
It comes after concerns about the impact of new Government housing targets which would see the district needing to increase from 289 new homes per year over the period of the Local Plan to 746 – a rise of 158%.
Preparations on the new document began in 2024, with the report revealing £588,000 has been spent so far.
But the previous system for developing a Local Plan is being replaced with a new one designed to support the creation of it within a defined timeframe.
Cllr Alex Farrell, cabinet member for housing and the Local Plan, said moving to the new system rather than progressing with the existing one would remove a requirement for the legacy arrangements whereby a submission would need to be made by the end of 2026.
He said:
“If the proposal to change to the new 30-month process is approved, it will allow time for the new plan to adequately address and include options for new settlements – new, planned communities in appropriate locations, alongside other approaches.
“This approach would better ensure that growth can be planned in the right locations and supported by the necessary infrastructure, while protecting landscapes, heritage and the character of the district.
“While this would extend the overall timeline for adopting the Local Plan, it would strengthen the council’s ability to manage development in the long term and also presents an opportunity to produce a clearer, more user-friendly plan for the benefit of residents and businesses.”
Lichfield District Council had previously favoured a “new settlement” approach to meeting housing needs.
But Cllr Farrell said that the revised national housing targets meant a new examination of how they would be met was now needed:
“This significant increase in housing target has proven challenging to address, given the need to balance new housing with employment growth and supporting infrastructure, in addition to protecting our environment and heritage and the character of our settlements.
“Four options for distributing growth across the district were presented at an issues and options stage, including focusing growth in the towns, a combination of towns and key villages, dispersed growth or new settlements.
“With the level of development required, it has been necessary to consider a combination of those options with much of the work being progressed into the feasibility of new settlements.
“These offer immense opportunities for the district and will help to protect our existing settlements from urban expansion, but they also take much more work to justify in terms of gathering evidence and working with partners and key stakeholders on the consideration of infrastructure provision, phasing and overall delivery.
“While much progress has been made, there is still further work to do, meaning more time is required to support the plan strategy.
“As work on the current Local Plan has progressed, it has become clear that a deeper, more focused evidence base is required to ensure that the plan is robust and capable of withstanding independent examination. This includes evidence on infrastructure capacity, transport, environmental impact and overall deliverability.
“Once the evidence is complete, we need to share it with infrastructure providers and key stakeholders to identify solutions to accommodate our growth needs. This does not leave sufficient time to effectively consult on the draft plan with the public, analyse representations and submit the plan by the end of the year target set by Government for all legacy plans.”
However, Cllr Farrell said the change would come with benefits in terms of shaping future development across the district.
He explained:
“Most of the decision-making policies that used to be in Local Plans will now be contained in the National Planning Policy Framework. This means that Local Plans will focus on where growth should go, using digital maps to illustrate sites for development and designated areas for protection.
“While our housing requirement will still be set nationally, the council will have control over where development takes place.
“New plans will still be subject to public consultation, as well as set checkpoints, referred to as gateways, where the Planning Inspectorate provides advice to help plans proceed successfully.”
The proposals will be discussed by Lichfield District Council’s cabinet on 12th May.
