WARRINGTON Borough Council has moved to reassure local residents that a legal requirement in the Draft Local Plan does not pre-empt any executive board decision next Monday (March 11).
An introduction to the Local Development Scheme (LDS) stated within the lengthy Draft Local Plan Document which went public yesterday; “It was approved by the Council’s Executive Board at their meeting of 11th March 2019” which resulted in a post on social media flagging that it appeared a decision had been made BEFORE the meeting.
But the council has explained that the Local Development Scheme (LDS) isn’t the Local Plan, it’s just the timetable for the preparation of the Local Plan.
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “The Local Development Scheme (LDS) is the project plan, or timetable, for preparing the Local Plan. It is a mandatory requirement for us to prepare one and to set a date when it will become operational.
“Therefore, it has been written on the basis that it will be approved, as is normal practice. This does not affect or influence the executive board decision over the draft Local Plan in any way. If the executive board does not approve the LDS, it will not come into effect on the specified date.
“It should be noted that approval of the LDS is a function of the Executive Board and not Full Council.”
For more information, and to read the draft Local Plan, please visit: warrington.gov.uk/localplan
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