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Introduction

The Government has introduced new legislation requiring the District Council to prepare a Local Development Framework (LDF). The purpose of the LDF is to set out the Council’s policies for achieving its economic, environmental and social objectives for Fenland where they affect the development and use of land. The new legislation has been introduced to speed up the preparation of local development documents, to ensure that they are regularly reviewed and kept up to date and to achieve more effective involvement with the local community and other stakeholders. The Local Development Scheme (LDS) sets out the timetable for Document preparation and the second revision LDS was brought into effect on the 6th July 2007. The Annual Monitoring Report sets out how far document preparation has progressed and how well policies are performing.

The LDS includes a full list of "saved" policies that remain in force for 3 years from September 2004 to provide a transition from the Local Plan to the LDF system. The list included the Council’s suggestions of what should happen to the Local Plan. The government has now issued a direction listing the policies that remain in force. Click here for list of extended policies. This list differs from that proposed by the Council in the LDS. Policies in the government direction will provide the local policy on which to determine planning applications until the LDF Documents are adopted. The Cambridgeshire County Council Structure Plan policies that remain in force can be found at; click here (External Link)

Progress on Document Preparation

Following consultation on the Core Strategy Preferred Options 2 Document the Council is undertaking work to address the concerns raised. For more on this work and the effects on preparation of the Core Strategy please click here.

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Sustainability Appraisal Of Local Development Framework

All Local Development Documents in the LDF must be subject to a process of Sustainability Appraisal. The Council has produced a Scoping Report (adopted October 2005) for all of its Local Development Documents. The Scoping report identifies the key sustainability issues facing the District.

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