The draft Local Plan for the St Albans district has been withdrawn allowing the council to start again to create a Local Plan with more of a focus on climate change and sustainability.
This decision was made at a St Albans District and City Council cabinet meeting after issues were raised by government-appointed planning inspectors about some of the plan’s contents and preparation.
A new Local Plan has been a long time coming, as plans were halted earlier this year and the current plan dates back to 1994.
Now the decision to withdraw the draft plan has been made, a new draft detailing future growth and development across the district until 2036 will be drawn up.
Councillor Jamie Day, portfolio holder for planning said the council had no choice but to withdraw the draft after a disappointing response from Planning Inspectors.
He said: “By starting anew, we have an opportunity to better address issues which have become ever more pressing since the withdrawn draft was composed.
“These include the need to recognise the impact of climate change and the need to ensure any new developments will meet strong sustainability standards.”
Councillor Day also added that with government proposed changes to the planning system, the Local Plan system may also change.
He said: “We also have to bear in mind that the government has proposed major changes to the planning system and that may alter the whole Local Plan system.
“However, that is some way off, so we will carry on with the challenge of creating a new LP under the current rules and look to see if we can gain some cross-party support for this difficult but highly important endeavour.”
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