Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan

Consultation has commenced this week on the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan growth options. The Strategic Plan is being prepared by the Greater Nottingham Planning Partnership, which is made up of all the Councils covering the Greater Nottingham area, namely Broxtowe, Gelding and Rushcliffe Borough Councils, together with Nottingham City Council.

Once adopted, the joint Strategic Plan will help guide development across the combined areas and will look at how Greater Nottingham’s longer-term development needs can be met up to 2038. In turn it will be supported by more detailed policies which will be developed in each council’s individual Local Plan.  The consultation runs until 14 September 2020 and is the first stage in the process with the Partnership seeking views on how new growth should be planned.

Although not exhaustive, the document identifies the growth strategy options that could be taken forward into the final Plan and is asking for views on the following:

  • Urban intensification growth strategy focusing development within and adjoining the Nottingham main built up area
  • A more dispersed growth strategy option enabling other objectives to be met such as more affordable housing or brownfield development in towns and villages outside the Nottingham urban area which may include a new settlement or settlements
  • Green and blue infrastructure-led growth strategy
  • Transport-led growth strategy.

The growth options consultation recognises that it is unlikely that all development needs can be met within the main urban areas, which will require locations within the Green Belt and/or beyond the Green Belt to be considered.  However, there is an option to designate ‘Safeguarded Land’, which is land taken out of the Green Belt which could potentially meet development needs beyond the end of the Plan period – but this would be ‘safeguarded’ from development until it is allocated through a review of the Local Plan.  The Consultation is asking for views on whether the Plan should designate Safeguarded Land within the Green and, if so, where?

Our Midlands Planning Director, Paul Woods, commented:

This is an important stage in the plan making process for the Greater Nottingham area.  The Green Belt boundaries are tightly drawn around much of the Greater Nottingham area and with an acknowledgement that some release of Green Belt land may be necessary to accommodate growth, there is a real opportunity to influence the direction of policy and areas for growth.

Do you own land in the Greater Nottingham area or are you currently looking at opportunities for land promotion? If so please contact the Woods Hardwick Planning team for further advice on submitting representations during the consultation period.

Contact Paul Woods: p.woods@woodshardwick.com 

View the Greater Nottingham Strategic Plan here.