TCF Preferred Options for Local Plan 2024 Stage 1

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What is the Scope and Timetable for the Wolverhampton Local Plan? 

Following the decision to end work on the Black Country Plan (BCP), Wolverhampton adopted a new Local Development Scheme setting out a timetable for the immediate preparation of a Wolverhampton Local Plan (WLP). This has since been updated, as set out below: Issues and Preferred Options Consultation: 26 February – 10 April 2024 Publication Consultation (Regulation 19): December 2024 – January 2025 Submission to Secretary of State: June 2025 Independent Examination by Planning inspector: June 2025 – Spring 2026 Adoption of Wolverhampton Local Plan: Mid 2026 

To progress the WLP as quickly as possible, it is important to build on the extensive work that took place recently to develop the BCP. This means making use of existing evidence, draft policies and responses made to the Draft BCP consultation, where these are still relevant. 

To facilitate this, the WLP will have the same scope as the BCP – covering all strategic policies for Wolverhampton and all housing and employment allocations, with the exception of sites in Wolverhampton City Centre. This gap will be filled by the Wolverhampton City Centre Supplementary Plan to provide up-to-date site allocations for the City Centre area. The WLP will have a Plan period that extends to 2042, covering at least 15 years after adoption in line with national requirements. 

The scope and timetable for the WLP reflect an urgent need to review and update Wolverhampton strategic policies and site allocations, for the following reasons: 

• The large and increasing shortfall between housing and employment land needs and available development land; 

• The need to bring forward a strategic plan before 2025, when local plan system changes are expected to come into effect through implementation of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. 

Tettenhall District Preferred Options  

The Tettenhall District Preferred Options response is issued by the Tettenhall Community Forum, a residents' consultation and campaign body, registered with Wolverhampton City Council. The preferred options document provides further information than requested in the summary and main document suggested responses, due to the nature of Tettenhall District being covered by the Neighbourhood Plan 2014, which contains policies for that district, and the scope of our own preferred options for future planning, which must be considered by both Wolverhampton Local Plan and Tettenhall District. 

This document is issued by the Tettenhall Community Forum as a Neighbourhood Plan response and Future Policy Guidance document for Tettenhall, in response to stage 1 of the Wolverhampton City Council (WCC) Local Plan Consultation. It will remain at consultative status for the purposes of neighbourhood planning for the Tettenhall District, and for further development and consultation by the residents and businesses within that District, and for consultative response to WCC. The document will be refreshed during stage 2 of the consultation, by the Tettenhall District neighbourhood planning body and community forum, at which it shall be issued as the Tettenhall District Preferred Options document, for use in final consultation and for amendment or required updates to the 2014 Neighbourhood Plan. 

This document was produced in consultation with members of the Tettenhall Community Forum, who provided their input during analysis of the stage 1 consultation upto 10th April, 2024. It is currently expected that the stage 2 consultation will commence in December 2024, for which this document and further analysis will be necessary by Tettenhall Community Forum and the District neighbourhood planning body, utilising further evidence necessary in production of the stage 2 plan, during September – November 2024. An extension of timescale for stage 2 consultation to equal 12 weeks has been requested by this consultation response. 

Local Plan Summary Leaflet and Local Plan Main Document Responses

A summary of the answers provided to the suggested responses from the Local Plan Summary Leaflet are available here and on the Tettenhall Community Forum / TDCC website at: 

tdcc.org.uk/local-plan-consultation

Appendix 1 – Local Plan Summary Leaflet Main Question Responses

Question A: Do you agree with the “big issues” identified for the Wolverhampton Local Plan to address?

YES IN PRINCIPLE. However, in addition to the “Big Issues”, the WCC Local Plan should develop policies in compliance with the future policy guidelines in this Tettenhall District Preferred Options document.

Question B: Do you agree with the Preferred Spatial Option for the Wolverhampton Local Plan?

YES IN PRINCIPLE. However, further details are provided in Appendix 2 of the Tettenhall District Preferred Options document.

Question C: Do you agree with the proposed site allocations for the Wolverhampton Local Plan?

YES IN PRINCIPLE. However, the local plan does not specify that land allocated within the Tettenhall Neighbourhood Plan as either green belt, protected land, or conservation areas, nor specific housing development character shall also be excluded. Whilst it is not expected that this omission has any injurious proponent, due to the existence of specific planning policies within the Tettenhall Neighbourhood Plan, this response will consider their requirements for substantial and comprehensive re-adoption within the Wolverhampton Local Plan.

Question D: Do you agree with the preferred approach to policies in the Wolverhampton Local Plan?

No. The Preferred Option stated in the Summary Document is ambiguous. Further explicit information is required. The example policies mentioned which will be strengthened are agreed in isolation as acceptable, however the response to Main Document Question 9 states concise consultation response per item, including changes to BCP policies and Evidence & Background Documents. Links should be provided for all documentation, where these are missing there is insufficient proof available for the consultee to determine a response.

Question E: Do you have any other comments to make about the Wolverhampton Local Plan?

Where WCC indicate that they do not expect anything in the Local Plan 2024 to override TNP policies, as of stage 1 consultation (Issues & Preferred Options), there is still a risk within stage 2 (Publication Plan), that planning policies may be implemented which require further consultation with the Tettenhall Community Forum (TCF), and may require the Neighbourhood Plan from its 2024 issue date, to be updated with new plans and policies bought into force alongside the WCC Local Plan by 2025.

It is currently expected that the stage 2 consultation will commence in December 2024, for which this Tettenhall District Preferred Option Document and further analysis will be necessary by Tettenhall Community Forum and the District neighbourhood planning body, utilising further evidence necessary in production of the stage 2 plan, during September – November 2024. An extension of timescale for stage 2 consultation to equal 12 weeks has been requested by this consultation response.

The Local Plan states that for Tettenhall and Heathfield Park – “These Neighbourhood Plans can only be updated by the local community and are not part of the Wolverhampton Local Plan work. “

Whilst the new Neighbourhood Plans must be updated by the neighbourhood planning body concerned, it is essential that the scope of the Local Plan, its policies and principles ARE part of the Local Plan such that all existing planning policies are substantially and comprehensively adopted.

"Tettenhall District Preferred Options" Document

The "Tettenhall District Preferred Options" Document, including the full responses to the  WCC Local Plan Main Document  is available on the Tettenhall Community Forum / TDCC website at: 

tdcc.org.uk/TCF WCC Local Plan

The full document has been emailed and posted to Wolverhampton City Council, Local Planning Department at Wolverhampton Civic Centre, on 10th April, 2024. 

Neal Kelshaw, Tettenhall Community Forum