Residents are being invited to have their say on key aspects of a review of the Derbyshire Dales Local Plan in a consultation starting this week.
Derbyshire Dales District Council is taking a fresh approach to its Local Plan - adopted in 2017 - with the emphasis on supporting towns and villages across the district.
Councillor Peter O’Brien, Chair of the all-Party Local Plan Sub -Committee said:
"We want to maintain the character, vitality and sustainability of our towns and villages, while ensuring housing is available to meet the needs of local families.
"Importantly, we want local people to give us their views on how much new housing is needed and where it is located. And we want our residents to be fully involved in this process.”
The Council has a legal requirement to prepare a Local Plan to use when assessing planning applications. An adopted Local Plan provides certainty both for local communities and developers about what type and scale of development is needed, and where it will go.
This initial consultation will help to inform the full version of the Plan later this year, ahead of a further round of consultation before it is submitted to the Secretary of State next Summer.
Since the Derbyshire Dales Local Plan was adopted in 2017, 1,935 homes have been built in the Local Plan area - those areas of the Derbyshire Dales that are outside the Peak District National Park - with 198 homes inside the National Park. Planning permission also exists for 1,375 new homes.
The District Council is currently reviewing the Local Plan and looking at how the local population is likely to change in the remaining period of the current Plan up to 2040.
Research suggests from now until 2040 there is a need for between 81 and 111 new homes each year. These are average figures but indicate less development than in previous years, but still enough to meet the future needs of our local communities. Somewhere between 20 and 50 of these homes each year will be built in the Peak District National Park.
Councillor O’Brien added:
"We are suggesting that the majority of new homes will continue to be built where there is greatest need. But we also want to ensure we meet the needs of families in our smaller villages.
"We will also welcome the views of local people on which of the existing sites in the Local Plan adopted in 2017 should be retained and which should be used for other purposes, including nature conservation, agriculture or open space.
"We want to work with our communities to bring this Plan to life."
A full list of the current sites is available here on our website at www.derbyshiredales.gov.uk/LocalPlan, together with a survey link that closes on 20 June.
Local Plan consultation leaflet and survey
View the consultation leaflet [PDF 2MB]
Consultation video
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