How the Local Plan was prepared

This section includes information on how the current Local Plan emerged, from initial consultations on early drafts, through to examination and adoption.

A brief history of the process is given below. Where possible links have been provided but all historic meetings papers can be found here.

Historic meeting papers

• In March 2009, we published a discussion paper and questionnaire about Key Issues facing the district.
• Core Strategy Issues
• Issues Questionnaire
• The results of public consultation are contained within the Core Strategy Key Issues Consultation Report, published in August 2009.
• In February 2010, we published documents to support an “Alternative Strategies” consultation for consideration and comment before 22 March 2010. The documents included a summary of the results of public consultation at the Issues stage.
• Short guide to Alternative Strategies
• Alternative Strategies for Shaping the Future of Stroud District
• Alternative Strategies questionnaire
• Alternative Strategies Consultation Responses (XLS)
• Sustainability Appraisal of Alternative Strategies (PDF 496 KB)
• Topic Paper – Climate Change (PDF 286 KB)
• Topic Paper – Employment and Economic Growth (PDF 414 KB)
• Topic Paper – Guide to the Evidence Base (PDF 109 KB)
• Topic Paper – Preliminary Habitats Regulations Screening (PDF 11,717 KB)
• Topic Paper – Housing Land Availability (PDF 174 KB)
• Topic Paper – Infrastructure Position Statement (PDF 185 KB)
• Topic Paper – Rural Settlement Classification (PDF 204 KB)
• Strategy options paper (PDF 160 KB)
• A report to Cabinet on 30 September 2010 addressed the issues raised by the new coalition government and set out the Councils position. View the report from 30 September 2010 and Cabinet minutes.
• A report summarising the response to the Alternative Strategies consultation was presented to Cabinet on 9 December 2010.
• Following the Governments announcement of the intention to abolish Regional Spatial Strategies it proved necessary to review and update housing numbers for the plan period. A report to Cabinet on 21 July 2011 was referred to and agreed by Council on 22 September 2011.
• A report outlining the next steps forward was presented to Cabinet on 9 November 2011 and to Council on 24 November 2011. View the report and minutes of 24 November here. 
• Discussion paper: Towards a Preferred Strategy – pros and cons of potential locations for strategic growth)
• The Preferred Strategy
• Sustainability Appraisal of Preferred Strategy
• The Preferred Strategy consultation exercise was undertaken during February / March 2012.
• As a result of responses on housing requirements in the Preferred Strategy consultation we commissioned an independent consultant to review and re-assess our housing requirements. A report to this was considered at the Planning Advisory Panel on 4 September 2012, the Executive (item 14) on 13 September 2012 and Council on 3 October 2012. An evidence review update report was considered at the Planning Advisory Panel on 22 April 2013.A consultancy report “Stroud District Employment Land Study” was considered at the Planning Advisory Panel on 6 February 2013. 
• Draft policies for the Local Plan were considered at an informal Planning Advisory Panel on 20 February 2013.
• The housing requirement and the strategy for the distribution of development were discussed at Planning Advisory Panel meetings on 5 March 2013 and 22 April 2013.
• Stroud District Local Plan: Policies Consultation
• Interim Sustainability Appraisal Report
• The Policies Consultation exercise was undertaken during May / June 2013.
• A report including a draft submission version of the Local Plan and a report on the policies consultation was presented to Special Environment Committee on 8 July 2013 and to Special Strategy and Resources Committee on 10 July 2013 and was considered at Council on 25 July 2013.
  Stroud Local_Plan_Draft_SA_Report_July_2013 - PDF
• Council resolved to approve the draft Local Plan for publication and submission to the Secretary of State.
• Consultation on the Pre-submission Draft Local Plan took place between 4 September and 16 October 2013.
• The Council delivered the Submission Draft Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate on 18 December 2013.
• Initial examination Stage 1 hearing sessions were held on 1 – 3 April 2014.
• Following publication of the Inspector’s Initial Conclusions on Stage 1 of the examination in June 2014, the Council agreed to suspend the examination in order to enable further work to be undertaken.
• On 9 December 2014, at an Extraordinary Meeting, the Council endorsed proposed changes to the Local Plan and requested that the Inspector resume the examination.
• Consultation on Post-submission Proposed Changes to the Plan and the accompanying SA Addendum ran from 11 February to 25 March 2015.
• The Inspector published Initial Views about the work undertaken during the suspension of the examination in February 2015.
• The resumed Stage 1 hearing sessions took place between 12 and 14 May 2015. The Inspector subsequently published his views on further modifications to the submitted Local Plan relating to the objective assessment of housing need and proposed housing requirement figure.
• The Stage 2 hearings of the examination into the Stroud District Local Plan took place between 28 May and 12 June 2015.
• The Council resolved at a Council meeting on 16 July 2015 to include the Inspector recommended figure of at least 11,400 dwellings (2006-2031) in the amended Local Plan.
• The Council prepared a list of Further Proposed Changes to the Plan and consulted upon this document and the accompanying SA Addendum (a & b) and HRA reports between 29 July and 9 September 2015.
• The Council received the Inspector’s Report on the Examination of the Local Plan (2 November 2015). The Inspector recommended that the Local Plan is found sound, with the recommended Main Modifications that are set out in an appendix to the Report.

Local Plan Examination Library (archived)

The evidence base behind the Local Plan is extensive. A complete list of all the documents submitted for consideration by the local plan Inspector during the course of Examination is available here. Please contact the Planning Strategy team if you would like to know more about a particular item.