Agenda item

Report from the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment.

Recommendations:

That Cabinet recommends to Council that the Local Development Scheme be adopted.

Consideration was given to the report which outlined an updated Local Development Scheme to reflect the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published in December 2024 and the significantly increased housing target for Rotherham, which necessitated a new Local Plan. The housing target for Rotherham had more than doubled from 544 to 1,111 new homes a year.

Officers had an advisory visit from the Planning Inspectorate in January 2025 to explore options for continuing the Core Strategy Partial Update. However, given the significant uplift to Rotherham’s housing target and the likely changes to the distribution of growth around the Borough this implied, the Inspector’s clear advice was to prepare a complete new Local Plan under the new plan-making system. Continuing with the Core Strategy Partial Update would result in a significant risk of the Local Plan not being found sound during the Examination in Public by a Planning Inspector and would, therefore, not be fit to be adopted by the Council, resulting in abortive work, wasted time and considerable expense. The updated LDS therefore replaced the Core Strategy Partial Update and set out a timetable to produce a new Local Plan. This course of action was unavoidable, given the Government’s changes to the NPPF and the imposition of a much higher housing target on Rotherham.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill published in March 2025 introduced Spatial Development Strategies (SDS), to be prepared by combined authorities. The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) would be responsible for preparing the SDS for South Yorkshire, in conjunction with the constituent local authorities. Local plans had to be in general conformity with the SDS. The Council was working with the other South Yorkshire authorities of Barnsley, Doncaster and Sheffield to prepare a new Joint Waste Plan, to replace the Plan adopted in 2012. Work was ongoing to reconsider the scope and content of the Joint Waste Plan and its relationship with the emerging South Yorkshire SDS, given the strategic nature of waste planning. Due to this new requirement, it was not possible for the LDS to give a timetable to prepare a Joint Waste Plan at present.

The LDS did not cover the detailed content of the new Local Plan or other Local Plan documents nor the process for preparing and consulting on them. Any future draft documents would be subject to separate reports requiring Cabinet or Council approval prior to public consultation, submission and adoption. The milestones for the new Local Plan were summarised at paragraph 2.5 of the report with Adoption of the Plan by Council being in July 2029.

The cost of producing the LDS had been managed within existing budgets. The adoption of the LDS set out a timeline for completion of the Local Plan and South Yorkshire Waste Plan. There was no provision for these costs, which were estimated to be £1.1m and as such, would need to be considered as part of the 2026/27 budget setting process and Medium Term Financial Strategy update. These plans, and future plans, would need to be incorporated into the Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS).

During the meeting the Leader reiterated the Council’s belief that the housing targets imposed by the Government were wrong. He also confirmed that there would be no immediate changes following the approval of the Local Development Scheme .

Resolved:

1.    That the Local Development Scheme be recommended to Council for adoption.