6      NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE LOCAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME REVISED FEBRUARY 2021 – The Director: Business Development submitted a report seeking approval for the timetable set out in the revision of the Local Development Scheme (February 2021).

Section 15 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended), required the council to prepare a timetable, formally known as the Local Development Scheme (LDS), setting the documents that would make up the Local Plan and the key dates (or milestones) for its preparation. These included public consultation periods, submission to the Government for independent examination, the examination itself and adoption. The LDS also covered the preparation of the Community Infrastructure Levy and Statement of Community Involvement. The LDS was included as Appendix 1 to the report. 

The LDS must be made publicly available and kept up to date. Progress in meeting these key dates would be assessed in the Authority Monitoring Report, which was produced annually.

The documents that the LDS stated would be produced were: 

•         North Lincolnshire Local Plan (2017 to 2038) 

•         Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL); and 

•         Statement of Community Involvement (SCI). 

The council was seeking to develop a new Local Plan covering the period 2017 to 2038. The Government was clear in the recently published National Planning Policy Framework, Housing White Paper and Written Ministerial Statement that local planning authorities should bring forward up to date local plans without delay. Without an up to date local plan the council would not be able to defend controversial planning applications and maintain a five year land supply of housing sites. Bringing forward the new plan would assist in delivering a five year land supply for North Lincolnshire. 

The main amendments to the existing LDS were approved in March 2016 and November 2017, the Statement of Community involvement had been adopted and therefore the LDS required amendment to reflect this situation.

Resolved – (a) That the proposal to bring the timetable for the revised Local Development Scheme (February 2021) into effect from the date of decision be approved, and (b) that the Local Development Scheme be published on the council’s website.