Development Management Plan Earlier stages

We have gone through several stages of preparation and consultation in developing this final version of the Development Management Plan.

Early and informal public consultation was undertaken in 2010 as part of the 'Big Map' exercise. This helped to identify issues and opportunities concerned with potential sites for development in the town, to feed into the drafting of the document itself.

We consulted on a Draft Development Management Plan during February and April 2012. This built on earlier consultation as part of the Big Map exercise, and contained 'rough draft' of suggested policies and options to help facilitate debate, and to help determine which options to proceed with.

Between July and August 2012, we undertook a 'focused' consultation on some additional sites and policy issues that had not previously been consulted upon. Comments were invited on these additional sites and policies only.

Between January and April 2013 we also consulted on the Proposed Submission Development Management Plan with the intention of submitting it to the Government for Independent Examination. The outcome of that consultation however, suggested that further amendments to the Plan could be made to help ensure it would be made Sound and Legally Compliant by the Inspector during Examination in public.

A further round of consultation was therefore undertaken on the Revised Proposed Submission Development Management Plan between March and April 2014. This revised version was formally submitted to the Government for independent Examination in July 2014, and following additional consultation on the Inspector's Preliminary Findings and Main Modifications  was found Sound and Legally Compliant by the Inspector in May 2015 in his Inspector's Final Report subject to the incorporation of the Inspector's recommendations.

The Development Management Plan was adopted by the Council in September 2015.