Timetable announced for creating Arun's new Local Plan

Arun District Council has set out its timetable to work with the community to create a new Local Plan for the district.

The local plansets out how the district will protect its important landscape and heritage, while accommodating space for employment, housing and leisure and looks as far ahead as 2028.  When adopted, it will guide most day-to-day planning decisions.

 The timetable is known as a Local Development Scheme. 

The Council last adopted a plan in 2003 and it is now time to look again at the needs of the district going forward.

Councillor Ricky Bower, Arun's Cabinet Member for Planning, said residents and business owners have made it clear that they want the best of the district preserved, to open up new opportunities for the creation of jobs and have housing that is affordable to their families.

Cllr Bower said: "We have taken on board comments that were raised from the three public consultations that have taken place over the last couple of years. This summer we will pull together a draft plan and invite further advice and comments from the public, business owners and other stakeholders to fine tune a new plan for the district. We want to work together to achieve the best we can to meet the needs of our population.''

 The first key stage will come this summer when residents across the district will be invited to comment on the draft plan.

The Council will then consider the responses and publish a revised draft plan before Christmas. Comments on that second draft will then be considered by the Council and a third draft of the plan will be submitted to Government by Spring 2013.

 The plan is then likely to undergo scrutiny from the Government Planning Inspectors who will invite further comments from the public and discuss in public aspects of the plan before making any recommendations to help the Council adopt the plan as its planning policy to 2028. Arun aims to have the plan adopted by December 2013.  

Cllr Bower added: ''For the first time in many years this district will be able to plan for its own future rather than being dictated to by regional and national government agencies. We are closer to the people and we know the area but we also want to listen further to people's ideas and put these ideas in the plan where we can. "

 Further dates will be announced over the coming weeks.