04 July 2009Sevenoaks District Council has begun preparation of the Local Development Framework for the district. Below is a summary of how we believe the revised planning system will work and a guide to the process Sevenoaks District Council intends to follow in preparing our LDF.
Sevenoaks District's LDF will provide clearer and more wide-ranging visions and strategies for spatial development and will be easier to keep up-to-date, with a greater focus on delivery than the current Local Plan. It will be a continuous process that will allow for the preparation and revision of Local Development Documents as and when they are needed. A set of LDF Objectives have been developed to underpin the preparation of future LDF policies.
The Government is keen that the new processes for preparing an LDF should be effectively project managed and, to that end, requires Local Planning Authorities to publish project plans, known as a Local Development Scheme (LDS). Sevenoaks District LDS is updated in March of every year in accordance with the findings of the Annual Monitoring Report.The LDF will be a portfolio comprised of Local Development Documents, which will include planning documents with development plan status - to be known as Development Plan Documents - and Supplementary Planning Documents. The documents to be prepared for Sevenoaks District are set out in the LDS.
Development Plan Documents will be independently tested and examined and will be subject to Sustainability Appraisal. The Council has appointed consultants, Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick Ltd working with Levett Therivel, to undertake work on this project. Annual Monitoring Reports for the District are published in December of every year and set out progress on preparing the Sevenoaks District LDF and implementing policies.
Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) will provide further guidance on the implementation of Development Plan policies. However, they will not have Development Plan status and will not be tested independently. Nevertheless, they will undergo rigorous community involvement.
The LDF also includes a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) that sets out how communities and other stakeholders will be involved in the process of preparing the LDF.
Background research into important issues and choices is currently being undertaken in consultation with community groups and stakeholders, such as local Councillors and Parish/Town Councils.
The content of the Planning Policy website is currently being reviewed and will be regularly updated.
Details of current and future consultation is also available on this website on the LDF Consultation page.
More information is available from the Local Development Framework Team, by telephone on 01732 227000 or email ldf@sevenoaks.gov.uk or by visiting the DirectGov web-site.
