Public consultation on the future of Rotherham gets the green light

Exciting new plans geared to attracting jobs, investment and growth for the future of Rotherham will be unveiled to the public next month.

Today (Wednesday, June 8) members of Rotherham Borough Council's Cabinet gave the green light to the next phase of widespread public consultation on the Local Development Framework - the authority's overall vision for the future development of the Borough for the next 15 years.

During July, August and September, the public are to be asked their views on the details of the proposals at numerous drop-in sessions, workshops , seminars and via the website.

 The proposals will be outlined in two documents - the 'Draft Core Strategy' and a second document that outlines the suggested sites and best options for development, whether it be for housing, employment, retail provision or conservation.

The last consultation on the LDF - Local Development Framework - took place in 2009 and as a result of both the feedback from that and changes in Government policy the authority has significantly reduced its housing target, the employment land requirement and the amount of Green Belt land to be released.

·         The housing target has been reduced by 27 per cent to 850 new homes per year - a total of 12,750 homes to be built over the period of the 15 year plan from 2012 to 2027 to meet the housing shortage. 

·         The employment land target has been reduced by 30 per cent with around 230 hectares being proposed for new economic development and a further five hectares for new office floorspace.

·         The amount of Green Belt land to be released has been reduced by 60 per cent to a maximum of 440 hectares with the authority maintaining a 'brownfield first' approach and the phased release of Green Belt towards the end of the 15 year period.

During the public consultation local people will be able to give their views and preferences on both the overall proposals and which sites in their local areas should be developed. The so-called Sites and Policies document will also propose new designations, such as 11 new Conservation Areas protecting locally-important areas.

Coun. Roger Stone, the Leader of Rotherham Borough Council, urged people to have their say again. "We have already reacted to the first consultation and made considerable adjustments and we want the public to make their views known again when the consultation starts next month," he said.

"This is about local people, their families, their aspirations for the future and what they want to see where.  Having a framework is a statutory requirement and if we do not develop our own local plan all decisions could be taken away from us by central Government.  We now have our local targets rather than regional ones to provide land for much-needed new homes and sustainable communities as well as the needs of the modern economy. We have to look to the future and we have to seize the opportunity to decide what goes where in our local communities."

Actual details of the consultation will be announced at the end of the month but the public is reminded that the latest round of consultation will not be the end of the matter.  The actual Core Strategy is not likely to be adopted by the council until December 2012 and only after it has been submitted for independent examination by the Government.