Shropshire Council's Local Plan consultation extended by three weeks

The consultation began on 18 December and is specifically asking for comments on the ‘soundness’ of the draft Plan.

The extension to the consultation has been agreed as a positive response to the ongoing ‘lockdown’ restrictions which came into force on 4 January and limited access to Shropshire’s libraries – where paper copies of the Plan had been made available to view

The council has therefore agreed that – on request and where residents do not have access to the Internet – paper copies of the Local Plan can be provided. To support this, it has also been agreed that the consultation will be extended by three weeks.

The Local Plan seeks to set an appropriate and sound strategy for the county, which has already been informed by five stages of public consultation. The draft Plan was agreed by Shropshire Council’s Cabinet on Monday 7 December 2020.

All comments made to this consultation will be sent to the Planning Inspectorate when the Plan is submitted for independent examination later this year.

Robert Macey, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for housing and strategic planning, said:

“It’s important to stress that the original decision to consult for seven weeks took into account the Christmas period and offered a period longer than the statutory minimum.

“Similarly, offering the chance to view the draft Plan in libraries wasn’t something we had to do, but an option that we felt was important to enable people without Internet access to see paper copies. Unfortunately, due to the lockdown, this was only possible for the first three weeks of the consultation.

“As a result, we have agreed to extend the consultation by three weeks, and ensure that paper copies are provided to people who don’t have Internet access.

“Given the importance of the Plan and the consultation, this is the right and fairest thing to give people every chance to engage with this important statutory stage of consultation.”

The Shropshire Local Plan Review will set out a plan for effective growth in the county until 2038, responding to local issues while having full regard to national planning policy and guidance

The main focus of the consultation is and continues to be online and all relevant material is available at http://shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/reg-19-pre-submission-draft-local-plan/

The new closing date is 5pm on Friday 26 February 2021. If residents wish to request a copy of all or part of the Draft Plan they should call 0345 678 9004.