Liverpool City Council is partway through a multi-year process of defining its Local Plan – a document which outlines the long term, strategic spatial development of the city, and the processes by which the council will consult and decide on planning applications going forward.
Much of the plan has already taken shape, but the council is currently seeking comment on a set of “Main Modifications” to the Plan, including (but not limited to):
- Modifications to Policy STP2 Sustainable Growth Principles, to ensure it is effective and continues to set principles to ensure the City’s sustainable growth in relation to economic, social and environmental principles.
- Modifications to Policy STP3 Protecting Environmentally Sensitive Areas which concerns the Council’s responsibility to protect important habitat sites in the City Region. It is now proposed that developer contributions will be collected from residential developments to be spent on mitigation measures;
- The deletion of Policy STP4 Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development as it repeats national planning policy.
- Modification to Policy CC4 Paddington Village, adding a clause to “Ensure the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site and its buffer including ensuring it does not compromise key view of the landmark buildings and strategic and local vistas having regard to those identified in the World Heritage Site SPD.”
- The deletion of clauses within Policy H5 Student Housing Provision that required student accommodation to contribute to regeneration objectives, to be of a cluster configuration and be adaptable to changing market conditions.
- Modifications to Policy H13 New Housing -Physical and Design Requirements outside the City Centre to require that planning proposals optimise for dewlling capacity, while also ensuring there is appropriate separation between dwellings and no detrimental impact on daylight and sunlight.
- A complete re-write of Policy UD6 Tall Buildings.
- The addition of Policy GI 2 Green Belt, preventing inappropriate development on the Green Belt that has been added to the Plan. Developers will be required to demonstrate that their proposals do not harm the environment of the Green Belt.
A full summary of the changes can found in Section 2 of this PDF from the 25th June 2021 City Council Cabinet meeting: EDR/33/21 Liverpool Local Plan Main Modifications Consultation DE1
You can also read the entire Local Plan, with the changes represented by underlines (additions) and strikethroughs (removals), in this PDF: Draft Schedule of Main Modifications – FINAL (June 2021)
You can respond to the consultation online. Please note that responses can only concern the proposed changes, and not any of the unchanged content of the plan.
The closing date for responses is 5pm Monday 23rd August 2021.