Maidstone Borough Design and Sustainability Development Plan Document – Preferred Approaches Consultation (Regulation 18)
The preparation of a Design and Sustainability Development Plan Document (DPD) is underway. This is the second stage consultation on the Design and Sustainability DPD known as Regulation 18 stage. The DPD puts forward a range of draft policy responses in relation to the following themes:
The Design and Sustainability DPD – Preferred Approaches (Regulation 18) and supporting documents are available to view and download below:
This consultation ran from 4.00pm on Friday 28th April 2023 to 5.00pm on Monday 12th June 2023.
Sustainability Appraisal
A consultation on the Sustainability Appraisal accompanied the Regulation 18 Preferred Approaches Document ran simultaneously.
The Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes regulations (2004) requires that all Development Plan Documents are required to be subject to a Sustainability Appraisal. This is reiterated in the National Planning Policy Framework. The Sustainability Appraisal is required to consider and communicate the key sustainability issues and effects of emerging policies and any reasonable alternatives.
The Sustainability Appraisal is an iterative process which runs alongside the development of a plan and informs the ongoing decision-making process. The document that was consulted on is a record of the appraisal work carried out to date.
The sustainability appraisal can be viewed here:
The consultation ran from 4pm on Friday 28th April and closed at 5.00pm on 12th June 2023.
Design and Sustainability Development Plan Document – Scoping, Themes & Issues Public Consultation (Regulation 18)
The preparation of a Design and Sustainability Development Plan Document is underway.
As first step, we prepared a Scoping, Themes & Issues document which provides background on the things we think it will be important to include in the document. We asked for your views on these matters and any others you think the document will need to cover through a series of consultation questions to help frame your feedback.
The Design and Sustainability Development Plan Document – Scoping, Themes and Issues (Regulation 18) is available to view and download below:
This consultation ran from 4.00pm on Friday 28th October 2022 to 5.00pm on Monday 12th December 2022.
Publicity for the consultation was in line with the regulations, along with the Council's published Statement of Community Involvement. In addition to the formal consultation, the council also ran an interactive mapping event to allow residents and other interested parties to share their views on the parts of the borough that they like and dislike. The responses to this will help the council understand what it should seek to achieve from the DPD.
Processing of the representations is now taking place. All consultation comments will be made publicly available on the consultation portal in due course (https://maidstone.objective.co.uk/portal). This is so that interested parties can view all the responses that have been received. Published information will include the comment and responder name. All demographic and contact data will be removed. All data is processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. The consultation responses will be used to inform the next stages of the Development Plan Document.
The Council is commencing on the production of a Design and Sustainability Development Plan Document (DPD). The Council resolved to prepare a DPD at the Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Committee on the 21st September 2021. This DPD will form a part of the Development Plan, in addition to the Local Plan Review and other DPD’s.
The Design and Sustainability DPD will be focused on non-spatial planning policies and will achieve higher quality and more sustainable design across the Borough. The DPD will sit alongside and build on the policies in the Local Plan Review, and will provide the basis for Development Management decision making, it will reinforce Development Management decisions, and provide stronger defence to planning appeals. The DPD will be focussed on matters pertaining to the achievement of high-quality development which contributes to sustainability at a number of levels, and which makes a significant contribution to the biodiversity and climate change agenda of the Council.
The DPD will be informed by evidence to justify and the adoption of higher design and sustainability standards where these can be achieved. It will specifically cover matters in relation to:
The Statement of Community Involvement 2020 sets out when and how stakeholders and the local community can get involved in the preparation of local plans, neighbourhood development plans and supplementary planning documents, and be involved in the process of decision making on planning applications.
There was a temporary addendum in relation to Covid 19 which can be viewed here. As restrictions have been lifted this addendum has now been revoked.
We're required by government to prepare a Local Development Scheme (LDS). A LDS sets out the timetable for the delivery of planning policy documents like our Local Plan.
The Local Development Scheme 2023-2025 was approved by Full Council on 22nd February 2023 and outlined the timetable for our Local Plan Review, the Design and Sustainability DPD and the Gypsy and Traveller DPD.
The LDS has been updated to reflect amendments to the timings of the Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople DPD and adoption of the Local Plan Review. The Local Development Scheme 2024-2026 was approved by Full Council on 25th September 2024 and took effect the same day.
The public notice can be viewed here.
| Local Development Scheme 2023 – 2025: Addendum (February 2024) |
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The Council is required to prepare a Local Development Scheme (LDS). A LDS sets out the timetable for the delivery and outline content of planning policy documents. The LDS 2023 - 2025 was approved by Full Council on 22nd February 2023 and took effect the same day. The LDS outlines the timetable for the Local Plan Review, Maidstone Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople DPD and Design and Sustainability DPD. Local Plan Review: The LDS timetable indicates Local Plan Review adoption in January 2024. Adoption of the Local Plan Review is anticipated approximately three months later than January 2024. The Council does not consider it appropriate to formally amend the Local Development Scheme to reflect this modest delay. Maidstone Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople DPD: With regard to the Maidstone Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople DPD the LDS is out of date. The LDS timetable indicates a Regulation 18b consultation taking place from February to March 2024. Evidence gathering ahead of a Regulation 18b consultation is currently ongoing. The Council is considering whether it is appropriate to formally amend the LDS in relation to the DPD.
Design and Sustainability DPD: With regard to the Design and Sustainability DPD the LDS is out of date. The LDS timetable indicates a Regulation 19 consultation taking place from September 2023. Work on the Regulation 19 consultation is ongoing. The Council is considering whether it is appropriate to formally amend the LDS in relation to the DPD. Once a revised timetable is approved, an updated LDS will replace the LDS 2023 – 2025. |