Interactive Local Plan

You can access the written statement below or you can view the online Local Plan Maps.

Saved Policies

The Schedule of Saved Local Plan policies is now available following the issue of the Secretary of State’s direction in September. This means that only the policies listed, will be used to determine planning applications after 31^st December 2008.

Why do Policies Need to be ‘Saved’?

The DCLG Protocol issued in August 2006 states that if an authority wishes to retain plan policies beyond the expiry of the three year period (28 September 2007 for plans adopted before commencement of Section 38 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 on 28 September 2004; or three years from the date of adoption for other plans) then it will need to seek the Secretary of State’s agreement to issue a direction to save them. In the case of the Mid Bedfordshire Local Plan, adopted in December 2005, this process had to be completed before December of this year to comply with this legislation.

The Protocol states that authorities will need to demonstrate that the policies they wish to be saved reflect the principles of LDFs; are consistent with current national policy; and that it is not feasible or desirable to replace them.

Thus policies have not been ‘saved’ for three main reasons:

1) They repeat national planning policies e.g. GBT1- Green Belts

2) The policy is not required to deliver the intended outcome e.g. PHS4- S106 Agreements for Pollution Control

3) The project or development they support/enable is complete e.g. HO8(15)- Housing at The Dairy, Henlow.

Written Statement:

or view the whole document together