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Representation ID: 9058

Received: 12/11/2021

Respondent: Colmworth Parish Council

Agent: Troy Planning + Design

1.6. As explained above, the Local Plan Inspectors required an ‘early review’ of the Local Plan to deal principally with the strategic issues of the Arc as it relates to BBC and its neighbours, however this is not currently possible as explained above. It seems that the point was to avoid another ‘piecemeal’ review of the Local Plan. Therefore, BBC’s proposed scope of the Local Plan update is difficult to follow. BBC explains that the 2040 Local Plan will be a partial update of existing policies given that it considers the vast majority of its policies are up to date and do not need to change7. BBC explains that the Local Plan update will cover the following:
• Development Strategy to 2040 and delivery of growth in order to meet national policy requirements
• Town centre and retail policies in order to support a more flexible future for our centres with a reduced focus on retailing
• Updated development management policies (those used to help make decisions on planning applications to do with:
o Self-building and custom homebuilding
o Quality of development and residential space standards
o Environmental net gain
1.7. We do not consider it possible to update the entire Development Strategy for the borough as part of partial review to plan for the proposed large scale of growth in the borough with a minimum of 12,500 dwellings and 123 hectares of employment land whilst attempting to align with the emerging strategy for the Arc. BBC should be preparing a full Local Plan Review rather than its current incremental approach which does not allow for long term and comprehensive planning based on effective cooperation which is so clearly needed for the borough and the surrounding area.