In July, inspector Martin Pike suggested that Knowsley Council’s draft core strategy would require further amendments following the introduction of new rules for deciding onshore wind farm applications in June.
The new rules state that local authorities should only grant permission if a development site identified as suitable for wind energy development in a local or neighbourhood plan. Knowsley Council’s plan had a criteria-based policy to permit wind energy, but did not identify locations.
Last month the council concluded a consultation on the wind energy changes, which make clear the plan policy does not apply to turbines, and this week Pike declared the local plan sound.
Earlier this month, the same inspector approved Crawley Borough Council’s local plan, subject to a series of modifications, including an update the housing requirement to reflect recent household projections.
In other local plan news:
- Stroud District Council adopted its local plan on 19 November
- Charnwood Borough Council adopted its core strategy on 9 November
- Bradford City Council has published main modifications for consultation until 20 January 2016
Further local plan updates are available here.
To sign up for a fortnightly local plan tracker email, click here.
