Core Strategy Frequently Asked Questions
The Consultation process
- When does the consultation period start and end?
- Why is the consultation period eight weeks?
- Is there anything else going on as part of the consultation?
Responding to the Consultation
- I responded to the issues and options consultation in 2007 - If I responded then, do I need to do so again?
- How do I make my comments this time?
- Why do I have to register to provide my comments on-line?
- If I have previous registered and received a user-name and password, can I use those details to make my comments?
- Do I have to give my name when I reply?
- Why do you want to know all this other information about me when I register, such as my race and gender?
- How does the on-line consultation process work?
- I've not heard of Spatial Development before - what does it mean?
- The document just shows dots and circles on a plan - why isn't there much detail at the moment?
- There are only six questions - how much can I write?
- What if I have other comments that I want to add that aren't covered by the questions?
- What happens to my comments?
- Will I receive any feedback once the consultation is over?
- I don't have access to a computer/ the internet - how do I respond?
Getting more information
- Where can I find out more about the Spatial Development Options described in the summary document?
- What format are the documents in on the website?
- Can I get a copy of all of the documents mentioned in the summary leaflet?
- Can I buy hard copies of the document? How much do they cost?
- How do I pay for the documents?
- Can I get a large print/braille/audio version of the consultation documents?
- Can I get a copy of the document in another language?
- Are there copies of the document that I can look at without having to come to the Council offices?
The LDF process and next steps
- What is wrong with the old plan that you need to replace it with something new?
- What should the Local Development Framework mean to me?
- Who is in charge of the process?
- What happens next after the consultation?
- When will the final Core Strategy be available?
- Why is the Local Development process so long?
The consultation period for the Core Strategy - Spatial Development Options starts on Monday the 6th July and runs until 5pm on Friday the 28th of August.
This eight week consultation period will give people a chance to read the background documents and attend exhibition and drop in sessions, and ask questions if they want to, before responding to the questions raised. We have extended the normal period for consultation because of the summer holidays and because of the time needed to give everyone a chance to consider what we are proposing.
Yes, we are holding a series of exhibition and drop in sessions across the District to allow everyone the opportunity to find out more and ask questions about the options presented. The session locations and dates are:-
Crowborough
Council Offices, Pine Grove. TN6 1DH
Friday 17th July 2009, 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Saturday 18th July 2009, 10.00am - 1.00pm
Polegate
Community Centre, 54 Windsor Way, BN26 6QF
Saturday 18th July 2009, 10.00am - 1.00pm
Wadhurst
Commemoration Hall, High Street, TN5 6AP
Wednesday 22 July 2009, 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Uckfield
Ashdown Room, Civic Centre, TN22 1AE
Saturday 25th July 2009, 10.00am - 1.00pm
Heathfield
Youth Centre, High Street, TN21 0UP
Saturday 25th July 2009, 10.00am - 1.00pm
Forest Row
Community Centre, Hartfield Road. RH18 5DZ
Wednesday 29th July 2009, 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Hailsham
Charles Hunt Centre, Vicarage Fields, BN27 1BG
(Next to Waitrose car park)
Friday 31st July 2009, 5.30pm - 7.30pm
Saturday 1st August 2009, 10.00am - 1.00pm
Responding to the Consultation
- I responded to the issues and options consultation in 2007 - If I responded then, do I need to do so again?
All comments received at the Issues and Options stage have been taken into account and remain on our records. However time has moved on since then, and this is a different sort of consultation exercise. This takes a more strategic view and focuses on the spatial distribution of growth across the whole District. It is certainly worthwhile considering the documents we have published to decide whether you want to make further comments. This is the start of the next stage of the Core Strategy which will define where new development will go - so it is important that we have your reactions and responses to the options presented.
We would encourage you to send us your comments online. In order to do so you will have to register on our consultation system, but this should only take a few minutes of your time. If you have not previously registered you may register on the Planning Policy Consultation page http://wealden.limehouse.co.uk/portal/planning/ by selecting login/register or click on "add comments" in the document. You may read the documents without registering.
You need to register or log-in (if you have previously registered) to type in your comments to the questions raised, so that we can record them and analyse them. All of these responses will be placed on the Council's web-site so that everyone can see what is being said. Your name will appear beside the comments that you make, but sensitive personal information such as your address, telephone number or e-mail address will not be shown on the website.
- If I have previous registered and received a user-name and password, can I use those details to make my comments?
Your details are stored on our consultation system and you can use your user name and password to make your comments. You may make changes to your account by registering and clicking on 'My Account' followed by 'My Details'.
We cannot accept anonymous responses, as we need to know that the response is genuine. Responses will be published on the Council's website so that everyone can view them. To ensure your privacy, we will not publish any of your personal details such as address, phone numbers or e-mail addresses.
- Why do you want to know all this other information about me when I register, such as my race and gender?
The Council is trying to ensure that it reaches all of the community in its consultation exercises. By providing this information it helps us to identify those people who we are not hearing from, so that we can consider other ways of consulting with them in the future. However, please do not feel obliged to give this information if for any reason you feel uncomfortable about doing so.
Once you have registered on our system and typed your comments, your response is automatically given a number so that we can record it as part of our consultation. We will let you know by email when we have received your comments and when they will be available on the website. There maybe a delay between submitting your comments and when they are published on the website. This is because we have to review each individual comment. The responses are then automatically collated, so that we can analyse and consider comments more easily and speedily.
The on-line consultation process will automatically close at the end of the consultation process at 5pm on the 28th of August. Information about how the on-line consultation works is on our website at:
http://www.wealden.gov.uk/planning_and_building_control/Local_Plan/CoreStrategy.aspx
Spatial development means that we are looking at the broad overall pattern of development across the District, before we look in detail at how and where that development will be built.
Before we go into more detail we need to determine where future development can and should be located. The dots and circles give an indication of where we think the housing and employment development we need to accommodate over the next 20 years may go.
The size of the circles give an indication of the quantity of housing development being considered in each area; the larger the circle - the more development we feel can be accommodated under that option. The grey parts of the circles represent housing that has been built, or has received planning permission, since 2006.
We have tried to focus on the key questions we need to consider to help us make choices at the next stage of the process. However, you can write as little or as much as you want to. If you are responding on-line, the answer box will automatically expand to allow you to write more. Please remember that you really need to read the full document and background information first, so you have full information about the options presented and can explain why you feel as you do about them.
Question 6 has been provided so that you can raise other issues on anything that you feel hasn't been covered through the consultation but which you feel should be included in the Core Strategy.
We will consider all your ideas and comments along with others received, and these will be taken into account as we develop the final preferred strategy over the next 12 months
Unfortunately we are not able to provide you with individual feedback, however we will be posting all consultation responses, and our summary report, on the Council's website later this year.
Those who do not have access to a computer or the internet can access our website from the Council's help points at both the Council Offices (at Hailsham and Crowborough), or in local libraries. Alternatively, you can post or fax back the questionnaire attached to the Summary Guide which is available from us on request.
Getting more information
You can find out more by attending one of the exhibition and drop-in sessions that are being held across the District during the consultation period and talking to us. You will also be able to look at the Spatial Development Options documents and background information at the Council Offices in Crowborough and Hailsham, at your local library or local Parish Council offices, or you can read the documents from the Council's web- site at:
http://www.wealden.gov.uk/planning_and_building_control/Local_Plan/CoreStrategy.aspx
All documents will be available on the Council's website. The main documents are available in HTML format. The Sustainability Appraisal and associated background papers are available in PDF format. You will need to have an Adobe Acrobat programme on your computer to enable you to read or download PDF documents. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat on your computer, you can download the background documents free of charge from the link on the Council's website.
Yes you can. The easiest way is to access the HTML versions of the Core Strategy documents or download the Sustainability Appraisal and associated summary background documents from our website at:
http://www.wealden.gov.uk/planning_and_building_control/Local_Plan/CoreStrategy.aspx
On our website you will be able to access the following documents:
- The Core Strategy - Spatial Development Options Consultation Document
- The Core Strategy - Spatial Development Options - Consultation Summary Guide
- The Core Strategy Spatial Development Options Sustainability Appraisal
- The Core Strategy Spatial Development Options Sustainability Appraisal - Non Technical Summary
- Background documents (PDF documents)
Alternatively, you can purchase the documents from the Council on request by calling our hotline number 01892 602007. Documents are available on CD, which is available free of charge. We can also supply a hard copy of the documents subject to a printing fee, plus postage and packing.
Yes you can buy hard copies, which are available on request from us on 01892 602498 or on ldf@wealden.gov.uk.
The cost of the documents (inclusive of postage and packing) is:-
- The Core Strategy - Spatial Development Options Consultation Document £10
- The Core Strategy - Spatial Development Options - Consultation Summary Guide FREE on request
- The Core Strategy - Spatial Development Options Sustainability Appraisal £10
- The Core Strategy - Spatial Development Options Sustainability Appraisal - Non Technical Summary FREE on request
- CD including all the above documents - FREE on request.
Payment can be via cash/credit or debit card at Wealden District Council offices, or by cheque made payable to Wealden District Council, or by contacting the council's information officer on 01892 602510. Please note that for credit card transactions, there will be a handling fee of 1.75%.
Yes. If you need copies of any of the documents in a different format, please let us know by telephoning our document request line on 01892 602007 and we will arrange for the documents to be sent to you in your requested format.
Yes. If you need copies of any of the documents in a different language, please let us know by telephoning our document request line on 01892 602007. We will arrange for the documents to be sent to you in your requested language. There will be no charge for this translation service.
Yes, hard copies of all the documents will be available for you to read at the following deposit points:-
Crowborough Town Council, Town Hall, The Broadway, Crowborough, TN6 1DA |
Uckfield Town Council, Civic Centre, Uckfield, TN22 1AE |
Wealden District Council, Reception desk, Council Offices, Pine Grove, Crowborough, TN6 1DH |
East Sussex County Council, Reception desk, County Hall, St. Anne's Crescent, Lewes, BN7 1UE |
Maresfield Parish Council, Parish Office, Churchfields, Nutley, TN22 3NA |
Forest Row Parish Council, Forest Row Community Centre, Hartfield Road, Forest Row, RH18 5DZ |
Hailsham Town Council, Inglenook, Market Square, Hailsham, BN27 2AE |
Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council, 92 High Street, Heathfield, TN21 8JD |
Polegate Town Council, 49 High Street, Polegate, BN26 6AL |
Willingdon and Jevington Parish Council, 3, Gorringe Valley Road, Willingdon, BN20 9SX |
Uckfield Library, High Street, Uckfield, TN22 1AR |
Crowborough Library, Pine Grove, Crowborough, TN6 1DH |
Forest Row Library, The Community Centre, Hartfield Road, Forest Row, RH18 5DZ |
Hailsham Library, Western Road, Hailsham, BN27 3DN |
Heathfield Library, 21 High Street, Heathfield, TN21 8LU |
Polegate Library, Windsor Way, Polegate, BN26 6QP |
Wadhurst Library, The Institute, High Street, Wadhurst, TN5 6AP |
In addition you can find out more by attending one of the exhibition and drop-in sessions that are being held across the District during the consultation period.
The LDF process and next steps
Wealden's existing plans were produced several years ago and time has moved on. We have new requirements to meet - not least of which are the targets and policies contained in the recently adopted South East Plan. We need to take along term view over the next twenty years and produce a plan which delivers genuinely sustainable communities.
The Local Development Framework provides an opportunity for you to help shape the way in which your area develops over the next 20 years. The Council is keen that everyone has a chance to play a part. By getting involved now at this early stage, you will play a crucial part in the development of the District.
The Core Strategy is part of the Council's Local Development Framework. The responsibility for preparing the plan is ultimately the responsibility of Wealden District Council. Work on the Core Strategy - Spatial Development Options consultation has been carried out by the Planning Policy Team. The production of the Local Development Framework is scrutinised by the Councillors sitting on the Local Development Framework Sub-Committee.
The results of this consultation will help us to refine our vision for Wealden,confirm the strategic planning objectives and develop the detailed policies which we will include in the final Core Strategy. We will continue to engage with our local communities, particularly through Parish and Town Councils, and to work with our partners and the key organisations that are crucial to ensuring that an effective plan can be delivered. All of this work will contribute to the development of our final Core Strategy document.
We are planning to publish the Core Strategy in June 2010 for public representations. After this it will be submitted to the Secretary of State, together with its Sustainability Appraisal. A Planning Inspector, appointed by the Secretary of State, will carry out an independent examination in public into the soundness of the Core Strategy. It is anticipated that this stage of the process will take place between September 2010 and February 2011. The Inspector will issue a binding report and the Council will adopt and publish the final version of the Core Strategy later in 2011.
Planning these days is inevitably complex. Recently changes to the planning system have been made to ensure that the local community is involved more closely in shaping the places in which they live and work. Planning also has to deliver things on the ground. This means that we have to look comprehensively and strategically at how new development will happen in the future. This all takes rather more time as we need to talk to a lot of people and organisations to make sure we get it right.
All this ensures that we will have a good plan for the future. The Council is working closely with communities, Parish and Town Councils and many other agencies and partners to ensure that we have the right tools in place to guide and support development in a way that meets future needs.
