Returning to the drawing board on the Local Plan could help tackle issues with local housing and infrastructure, a Lib Dem councillor has said.
Lichfield District Council is planning to withdraw the draft document which would have outlined where and how future homes would be built over the next 15 years.
The Conservative cabinet will discuss the proposals after the cabinet member for the Local Plan said the draft Local Plan “was not appropriate”.
Among the considerations will be whether to take an approach which would see the creation of a new settlement rather than urban sprawl.
Cllr Paul Ray, leader of the Lib Dem group at the council, said it was important any Local Plan rethink also tackled the big issues facing local residents.
“This decision is huge. It needs detailed analysis before it comes to full council for approval – and the Lichfield Lib Dems will give it that.
“We hear loud and clear residents’ concerns about the lack of infrastructure and the poor state of our public services.
“Residents often say to us that they are not against more housing being built. They understand the need and see their own friends and family struggling to find affordable housing in our area.
“So we are sympathetic to the argument that if a large new settlement was approved under a new Local Plan then the council would be able to more easily insist that new facilities such as schools, GP surgeries and roads are built.”
Cllr Paul Ray, Lichfield District Council
The Local Plan was submitted for examination last year, but could be axed in favour of a new approach if the cabinet and then full council give the proposals the go-ahead.
Cllr Alex Farrell, cabinet member for housing and the Local Plan said:
“It is clear to me that our proposed new Local Plan is not suitable, and I’d like to see a new approach to housing that suits our local communities.
“We want to explore the idea of a new settlement in the district, as opposed to the current approach that is suffocating local communities with a disproportionate amount of housebuilding without sufficient infrastructure.
“It’s clear that the proposed new Local Plan 2040, which was submitted for examination last year, was not appropriate given both the changes that we have seen – and continue to see take place – in government national policy in the four years since it was initiated, plus the level of dissatisfaction we heard from residents about it in its current form.
“It became evident that the proposed Local Plan no longer resonates with the evolving needs of our district, and we needed to change.”
Cllr Alex Farrell, Lichfield District Council
“This could make a real difference”
Despite recognising the potential benefits which could be achieved by a rethink, Cllr Ray said there were still a number of issues that needed to be considered.
He added:
“A new Local Plan will take three to four years to approve – will that set back housing delivery in the district?
“The council has big projects that it has to deliver, such as Friarsgate, the cinema and leisure centre, and residents made that point very clearly in the May elections.
“These projects will involve a significant amount of resource at the council, so if at the same time there is a new Local Plan to be prepared and delivered, will that soak up resource at the council which could slow down delivery of these projects?
“Residents are expecting these projects to proceed at a pace. If this decision could impact these projects, we will be very concerned about that.
“But a new Local Plan does present opportunities.
“We all know that we desperately need more affordable and social housing in our area and the private rental market is just too expensive for too many in our community. A new Local Plan means that we can include tighter affordable and social housing requirements.
“A new Local Plan could also mean that specific measures are included to tackle the poor public transport in our area and the climate emergency, such as solar panels on new homes and the installation of charging points and heat exchange points.
“This could make a real difference.”
Cllr Paul Ray, Lichfield District Council
