Regulation 19 - Proposed Draft Local Plan Submission

Remove the site allocations for Houghton. Site allocations will be made in the NDP

Comments to HDC from Houghton PC
PC Resolution:

That the Parish Council submits comments to the Regulation-19 consultation on the HDC Local Plan requesting that the development site allocations for Houghton be removed from the Local Plan.

Houghton Parish Council is aware that HDC have included two site allocations from a consultation copy of the emerging Houghton NDP in the Consultation copy of the Harborough Local Plan.
Houghton PC request that HDC remove the site allocations from the Local Plan for the following reasons:
1. We understand that site allocations should not be duplicated, since duplication opens the possibility of clashes between different versions of the allocations.
2. While the Local Plan site allocations follow a generic format, the NDP site allocations contain additional detail of a local level obtained through negotiation with site developers to maximise the benefit to the local community from the development. This benefit can be lost if the LP allocation policy supersedes the NDP one.
3. In this particular case one of the site allocations has now been withdrawn from the evolving NDP and if the Local Plan retains its allocation it will overrule the emerging NDP. This is a good illustration of point (1) above.
4. The second site allocation has been modified in detail due to revised surface-water flooding regulations from the Environment Agency. The modification are small but significant and are another example of the dangers of point (1) above.
We suggest that the HDC Local Plan refers to the required housing number (104) but then refers to the detail of the emerging NDP.
For information, Houghton PC expect to submit their NDP to HDC by mid-May 2025.

The development site allocations for Houghton be removed from the Local Plan.

Houghton Parish Council is aware that HDC have included two site allocations from a consultation copy of the emerging Houghton NDP in the Consultation copy of the Harborough Local Plan.
Houghton PC request that HDC remove the site allocations from the Local Plan for the following reasons:
1. We understand that site allocations should not be duplicated, since duplication opens the possibility of clashes between different versions of the allocations.
2. While the Local Plan site allocations follow a generic format, the NDP site allocations contain additional detail of a local level obtained through negotiation with site developers to maximise the benefit to the local community from the development. This benefit can be lost if the LP allocation policy supersedes the NDP one.
3. In this particular case one of the site allocations has now been withdrawn from the evolving NDP and if the Local Plan retains its allocation it will overrule the emerging NDP. This is a good illustration of point (1) above.
4. The second site allocation has been modified in detail due to revised surface-water flooding regulations from the Environment Agency. The modification are small but significant and are another example of the dangers of point (1) above.
We suggest that the HDC Local Plan refers to the required housing number (104) but then refers to the detail of the emerging NDP.
For information, Houghton PC expect to submit their NDP to HDC by mid-May 2025.