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Following the Telford and Wrekin Local Plan Examination Hearings, held in February and March this year, Government appointed Planning Inspectors confirmed last week (2 June) that the Local Plan can be made sound subject to modifications.

Having reviewed the Inspectors’ recommendations, Telford & Wrekin Council has now launched a six-week consultation focussed specifically on those modifications, along with suggested amendments to policy maps and additional minor revisions to the plan. Only the proposed modifications and changes will be subject to consultation; it is not an opportunity to revisit or submit further representations on the published plan, nor to seek additional amendments to it.

Councillor Carolyn Healy, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Planning and Sustainability, said:

“This consultation is an important step in finalising a robust and deliverable Local Plan that will shape the future of our Borough.

“Having a sound and viable Local Plan in place is essential. It not only gives certainty to our communities and developers but also enables us to safeguard the Borough from speculative development, a challenge that neighbouring authorities are increasingly facing where plans are not yet in place. It will also support the delivery of a wider range of housing across the Borough, with a focus on increasing the supply of affordable homes.

“Crucially, this plan is about more than just housing. It provides the framework to secure the infrastructure our growing communities need from transport and schools to green spaces, ensuring that growth is sustainable, well-planned and benefits residents both now and in the future.”

While the majority of the modifications relate to detailed matters, one overarching change is to the Local Plan period, so that it runs to 2041 instead of 2040. This is to meet the requirement for a minimum 15-year plan duration from adoption, in order to provide greater certainty for communities, developers and infrastructure providers. It ensures the plan remains future proof, positively planned, and aligned with national policy requirements.

Changes to Government calculations of housing need have also led to a slight increase in the number of houses required, by an extra 24 homes each year.

Another proposed modification sets a requirement for developers to provide a minimum of 20% of all new homes in Telford for affordable and social housing. However, the Plan does recognise that on average over half of all affordable and social housing is delivered using funding from other sources such as Homes England. This ensures that local people have access to homes that meet their needs at a price they can afford, as the Borough continues to grow. There are no modifications proposed to the Councils policy requirement for 35% of all homes to be delivered as affordable in the rural areas.

The consultation also includes a modification to the Biodiversity Net Gain requirements for new developments, ensuring developers leave the natural environment in a measurably better state than before construction. While there is a mandatory requirement for a minimum 10% increase in biodiversity, the Local Plan will encourage developers to aspire to a higher level of biodiversity net gain, up to 20%, to further enhance habitats or create new ones.

The Telford and Wrekin Local Plan consultation runs from Monday 8 June Monday 20 July, and all comments received will be sent to the Planning Inspectors for consideration.

Copies of the proposed modifications, along with supporting documents, are available at https://www.telfordandwrekinlocalplan.co.uk/info/1/home/23/main-modifications-consultation , where comments can also be submitted online.

Alternatively, hard copies of the proposed modifications and documentation are available at libraries and community centres across the Borough, where feedback form can also be printed off and posted back.

The outcomes of the consultation will be shared with the Inspectors, who will then make their final recommendation. If approved by the Inspectors, the Telford and Wrekin Local Plan will go before Cabinet for approval and then be recommended to Full Council for formal adoption, providing a framework for where homes, jobs and infrastructure can be built over in the Borough the next 15 years.