Call for Government to allow Chichester local plan delay

Local plans set out long-term development strategies for each local authority, laying out where homes can and cannot be built.

With Chichester District Council facing a July deadline to bring its plan up-to-date, there is a very real possibility that it will be left unprotected from developers applying to build houses wherever they see fit.

Leader Eileen Lintill and deputy leader Susan Taylor have written to Robert Jenrick, secretary of state for housing, asking for a delay; while Adrian Moss, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, has asked for assurances that the current plan will remain valid.

Mr Moss said: “The priority now is to protect our residents, support the NHS, social services and people in key roles working across our communities.

“Now is not the time to work on a local plan that may need to be radically changed as a result of the virus and changing evidence from climate change.”

However, a council spokesman said: “While we wait for a decision on this, it is very much business as usual for our planning teams and we continue to work on the Local Plan as well as dealing with planning applications and enforcement matters.”

Mr Moss also asked the secretary of state to give councils more time to process planning applications, saying the current time-scale would be ‘challenging’.

Once an application is submitted, councils have eight weeks to make a decision – or the applicant can appeal to the secretary of state.

Mr Moss said there would be problems with staff being stuck in self-isolation, off sick or being seconded to cover critical services.

But unless the government has a change of heart, those challenges may still have to be met.

A council spokesman said: “The government has made it clear that the planning system should continue to function and that decision making should be prioritised, especially where this will support the local economy.

“As a council we have adjusted our processes to ensure we can safely continue our work, while meeting statutory requirements.”

Members of the public can find out more at www.chichester.gov.uk/planningcoronavirusupdate

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