Draft Local Plan

Introduction

The Plan has been published by Sheffield City Council (SCC) as the Local Planning Authority in order for representations to be made on it before it is submitted for examination by a Planning Inspector. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, as amended, states that the purpose of the examination is to consider whether the plan complies with the relevant legal requirements, including the duty to co-operate, and is sound. The Inspector will consider all representations on the plan that are made within the period set by SCC.

To ensure an effective and fair examination, it is important that the Inspector and all other participants in the examination process are able to know who has made representations on the plan. SCC will therefore ensure that the names of those making representations can be made available (including publication on the Council’s website) and taken into account by the Inspector.

Legal Compliance

You should consider the following before making a representation on legal compliance:

• The plan should be included in the Council’s Local Development Scheme (LDS) and the key stages set out in the LDS should have been followed. The LDS sets out the key stages in the Plan and should be on the LPA’s website and available at its main offices.
• The process of community involvement for the Plan should also be in general accordance with the Council’s Statement of Community Involvement, (SCI), which sets out the strategy for involving the community in the preparation and revision of the Plan.
• A Sustainability Appraisal should identify the process by which the Council will help to achieve relevant environmental, economic and social objectives.
• The Plan should comply with all other relevant requirements of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, and the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012, as amended (the Regulations).

Soundness

The tests of soundness are set out in paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Plans are sound if they are:

• Positively prepared – providing a strategy which, as a minimum seeks to meet the area’s objectively assessed needs, and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that unmet need from neighbouring authorities is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development;
• Justified – an appropriate strategy, taking into account the reasonable alternatives, and based on proportionate evidence;
• Effective - deliverable over the plan period and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic matters that have been dealt with rather than deferred, as evidenced by the statement of common ground; and
• Consistent with national policy – enabling the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the NPPF.

If you think the content of the plan is not sound because it does not include a policy on a particular issue, you should go through the following steps before making representations:

• Is the issue with which you are concerned already covered specifically by national planning policy?
• Is the issue with which you are concerned already covered by another policy in this plan?
• If the policy is not covered elsewhere, in what way is the plan unsound without the policy?
• If the plan is unsound without the policy, what should the policy say?

General advice

If you wish to make a representation seeking a modification to a plan or part of a plan you should set out clearly in what way you consider the plan or part of the plan is legally non-compliant or unsound, having regard as appropriate to the soundness criteria above. Your representation should be supported by evidence wherever possible. It will be helpful if you also say precisely how you think the plan should be modified. You should provide succinctly all the evidence and supporting information necessary to support your representation and your suggested modification. You should not assume that you will have a further opportunity to make submissions. Any further submissions after the plan has been submitted for examination may only be made if invited by the Inspector, based on the matters and issues they identify. Where groups or individuals share a common view on the plan, it would be very helpful if they would make a single representation which represents that view, rather a large number of separate representations repeating the same points. In such cases the group should indicate how many people it is representing and how the representation has been authorised.

Please consider carefully how you would like your representation to be dealt with in the examination: whether you are content to rely on your written representation, or whether you wish to take part in hearing session(s). Only representors who are seeking a change to the plan have a right to be heard at the hearing session(s), if they so request. In considering this, please note that written and oral representations carry the same weight and will be given equal consideration in the examination process.

1) Title of document

Sheffield Plan: Our City, Our Future – Publication (Pre-Submission) Draft

2) Subject matter

The new Sheffield Plan is Sheffield Council’s draft Local Plan which we propose to submit to the Government. The draft Plan sets out the council’s strategy for future growth and change through to 2039, and will help to deliver Sheffield City Council’s objectives for delivering a fairer city for everyone. The plan consists of:

• Part 1 – Vision, Spatial Strategy, Sub-Area Policies and Site Allocations
• Part 2 – Development Management Policies and Implementation
• A policies Map
• Annex A – Site Allocations Schedule
• Annex B – Parking Guidelines
• Glossary

The role of this consultation is to provide the opportunity for representations to be made on the ‘soundness’ and legal compliance of the plan before it is submitted to the Government for Examination. See Item 5) below for more information.

3) Period for submission of representations

The period for representations will run for 6 weeks from 9 January until 20 February 2023.

4) Where to view the plan and supporting documents

You can view and download the plan and supporting documents on the council’s website -

https://haveyoursaysheffield.uk.engagementhq.com/draft-local-plan

Hard copies of the plan will also be available to view in the city’s libraries and FirstPoints from 9 January 2023. Supporting documents can be viewed at our main office, Howden House.

5) Things to consider when making a representation

We are asking for people to consider two specific questions when making representations on the plan:

1) Is the plan legally compliant?

Does the plan comply with the relevant legislation and regulations in the way it has been prepared, and in its content?

2) Is the plan ‘sound’?

Has the plan been ‘positively prepared?’ Is it robustly justified and evidence-led? Will it be effective in what it sets out to achieve? And is it consistent with regional and national planning policy?

If you would like to be heard at the independent examination in public, please tell us in your representation. Please double check that the contact details you include with your representation are correct so we can contact you regarding this.

6) How to submit your representation:

Online through our consultation hub webpage:

https://haveyoursaysheffield.uk.engagementhq.com/draft-local-plan

or

By Email at sheffieldplan@sheffield.gov.uk

or

By post at

Strategic Planning Team

Planning Service

City Futures

4^th Floor, Howden House

Union Street

Sheffield

S1 2SH

Please note: all comments will be made public and will be submitted to the Secretary of State. We will not consider confidential or anonymous responses. Your comments and name will be published but other personal information will remain confidential.

7) Notification of next stages

The next stages of the Plan are:-

• the submission of the local plan for independent examination under section 20 of the Act,
• the publication of the recommendations of the person appointed to carry out an independent examination of the local plan under section 20 of the Act, and
• the adoption of the local plan.

If you wish to be contacted about any of these stages, please tell us in your representation when and how you would like to be contacted.

8) Contact for more information:

Please contact the Strategic Planning team using the contact details above, or by calling (0114) 273 5274