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Progress of the LDF, Meeting of the Member Steering Group 17th October 2008

On the 17th October 2008 the Member Steering Group of the Luton Council and South Bedfordshire District Council Growth Area Joint Committee met to consider amongst other things, the next formal step in the production of the LDF, the Preferred Options.

Taking into account the progression of all the evidence studies, both those completed and those progressing to completion, the Steering Group Members decided that a date towards the end of March 2009 was appropriate. The exact date will be decided nearer the time.

Core Strategy

The Core Strategy and Key Diagram Development Plan Document (or Core Strategy for short) is one of the most important parts of the Local Development Framework.  When adopted, the Core Strategy will set out a spatial vision for the area and the broad development principles and proposals that will help achieve that vision over the coming years. 

There are several stages to preparing the Core Strategy.  From July to October 2007, officers from South Bedfordshire District Council, Luton Borough Council and Bedfordshire County Council undertook four months of public consultation as part of the first stage of the process; the ‘Issues and Options’ stage.  The documents that were part of this consultation are available to download below.

Following that consultation, all the responses received were inputted to our Limehouse consultation software.  Those consultation responses will be available to view through that software shortly.   A report summarising the main issues raised in that consultation was presented to the Luton and South Bedfordshire Joint Committee on 29 February 2008, and available to view here.

Covering report

Full Report

What happens next?

The responses to the Issues and Options paper is one of many streams of evidence that will be used to help the Councils decide on a ‘preferred option’ for development.  Officers and consultants are currently working on studies about various subjects, including flooding, community facilities, green space, transport issues and landscape character. This will give more certainty to the location of future development in South Bedfordshire and Luton, plus how we will deliver all the other things that need to go along with housing growth, like jobs, schools, shops, community facilities and green space.