Cabinet to Consider Blueprint for Future Development

A blueprint for future development in South Tyneside will be put before Cabinet.

Cabinet will be asked to endorse the latest version of the Local Plan before it is referred to Borough Council on 5 September.

The 'Regulation 22 publication draft' is the culmination of several consultations which have taken place over the last 10 years.

Only full council can give approval for the submission of the Local Plan to the Secretary of State for independent examination in public - the final stage before it is legally adopted.

The Local Plan will provide a framework for where new homes, businesses, shops and leisure amenities will be built up until 2040, and ensure that the right infrastructure, such as roads, health facilities and schools, is in place to support growth.

Cllr Margaret Meling, Lead Member for Economic Growth and Transport, "It's vital that we have an up-to-date plan so that we maintain control over development in the Borough; without one, we are vulnerable to speculative development proposals.

"This is not just about building houses; it's about making the Borough a thriving and prosperous place, improving the local availability of skills, boosting economic activity and attracting investment and skilled labour.

"We want people who grow up in South Tyneside to be able to stay here, with access to affordable housing and skilled jobs."

In 2022, the Council received almost 1,900 responses during consultation at the Regulation 18 stage and that feedback was taken on board and reflected where possible and appropriate.

Earlier this year, public consultation on Regulation 19 - which determines if the Plan is 'sound' and has been prepared legally - attracted a further 384 representations, including from members of the public, landowners and developers, councillors and neighbourhood forums.

In addition, consultation was also carried out on a Fellgate Sustainable Growth Area Supplementary Planning Document Scoping Report, which would inform a future masterplan. This attracted 241 responses, including a petition in objection.

These representations were considered carefully, and a number of minor modifications have been proposed prior to submission to the Secretary of State. The Council's published Local Development Scheme sets out that the Plan is to be submitted in summer 2024.

The Local Plan seeks to meet the Borough's housing need of 309 units per year, with only five per cent of land proposed to be removed from the Green Belt. Last month, the government published proposed significant changes to National Planning Policy Framework, in particular the Standard Method used to calculate local need, which could result in a much higher need for the Borough.

Cllr Meling added: "As a consequence of not having an up-to-date development plan that identifies sufficient housing sites to meet the Borough's housing needs, we have a significant shortfall in the supply of housing.

"We continue to prioritise and actively promote the development of brownfield sites first, but there is an acute undersupply of land from non-Green Belt sources, so we have had to look at all options to accommodate sustainable development.

"We have repeatedly failed the housing delivery test and are the only authority in the region whose housing delivery has fallen below 75 per cent.

"Any delay towards adoption of the Plan could result in desired development being abandoned due to uncertainty, and leave us in a much weaker position to resist inappropriate development and to ensure delivery of the necessary infrastructure."

The report will be considered at a special meeting of Cabinet on 27 August.