Newsletter - 2009 Local Plan Consultation Edition
What are the ground rules for the Local Plan?
The Local Plan must provide sites for all the new housing specified in the Fife Structure Plan approved last May - a highly controversial document that brushed aside over 2000 objections - many from N. E. Fife.
One Community Councillor, Penny Uprichard, acting alone, has challenged its legality. This challenge may not be heard until late 2010, with judgement in 2011. Fife’s Local Plan consultation assumes that this legal challenge will fail. If it succeeds, everything is back in the melting pot.
Can Fife Council legitimately ignore your response?
By law, the Local Plan must keep to the framework set out in the Structure Plan. So if you call for something that is contrary to the Structure Plan, Fife Council has no option but to ignore you. For instance, there is no point in saying there should be no housing development at all in St Andrews (even if that is your view), as it would contravene the Structure Plan (see the housing section below).
What is it worth saying?
In responding to Fife’s consultation you should thus assume that large-scale development will happen, and either
- say where you want that development to be or
- say which areas you don’t want developed or
- both!
As well as the danger of large-scale development to the west, other developers could try to get their proposals agreed later at the Public Inquiry when there is no time for the public to react. e.g. the Muir Group could resurrect its plan for a huge development to the south.
IF YOU DON’T WANT THE SOUTHERN HILLSIDE DEVELOPED, SAY SO AGAIN NOW!