Published Friday 25 August 2023 at 12:29
Residents are being invited to review and comment on proposed modifications to Blackburn with Darwen Council’s new Local Plan.
Once officially adopted, the plan will provide a ‘blueprint for the future’ – including identifying sites for new homes and business developments up to 2037.
It also sets out proposed plans for things like improvements to roads and schools as well as ways to consider climate change in all planning decisions.
Officers at Blackburn with Darwen Council have been working hard to develop the plan since 2018, with residents being invited to have their say throughout the process during a number of rounds of public consultation.
Feedback gathered from those was then considered in shaping the plan, which was presented to and fully reviewed by Government Inspectors at a series of public hearings held at Blackburn Town Hall earlier this year.
Following that, and in a positive step forward, the Council received initial advice from the Inspectors providing support for the overall growth strategy.
And now, as part of the final steps in preparing the document, a number of modifications and supporting documents are being put forward for consideration to ensure the Local Plan is ‘sound.’
Councillor Quesir Mahmood, Deputy Leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council and Executive Member for Growth and Development, said:
The Local Plan will be vitally important in shaping our borough between now and 2037 – improving the lives of our residents, creating thousands of new jobs and ensuring we have the right mix of quality homes and business growth opportunities.
The plan covers subjects that we know are really important to our residents in Blackburn with Darwen, including new developments, schools, roads and our green spaces.
Our officers have worked incredibly hard to ensure we have a robust plan in place to help deliver our vision of creating a more prosperous borough where no one is left behind and the positive response from the Government Inspectors following the public hearings is testament to that.
This new period of public consultation is part of the final steps we need to take in order for us to seek for the plan to be adopted early next year and we would welcome feedback from residents and businesses in the borough on the specific modifications and supporting documents.
During previous rounds of public consultation, more than 800 individuals and organisations have offered their feedback on the Local Plan.
However, this public consultation is different from those undertaken previously as any comments submitted must specifically relate to a modification or one of the supporting documents, including:
- Schedule of Amendments to the Policies Map;
- Green Belt Borough Boundary Proposed Amendments Addenda;
- Sustainability Appraisal (SA) of the Draft Main Modifications; and
- Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) of the Draft Main Modifications.
The proposed modifications and supporting documents can be reviewed on the Council’s Local Plan webpage by clicking this link.
There you can also more information and details on how to submit your feedback.
This consultation will run for a six week period until 5pm on Monday, October 2nd 2023.