4.1: Public consultation is essential for the local plan to represent the needs of our communities. It must be easy for people to have their say in a way that works for them, so they can influence the way the area develops. By planning this early, we can ensure people are aware in advance and can get involved from the start.
4.2: We have undertaken an early Scoping consultation to seek stakeholder views on what the Local Plan should contain and how we should engage and consult on the LPR at key stages. As part of the Scoping consultation we published a Draft LPR Engagement Strategy for comments setting out our thoughts on how we propose to engage the public and stakeholders and seeking views on this.
4.3: We identified that our engagement will be guided by the following principles:
- Engage early: Invite input at an early and meaningful stage so stakeholder and community views can shape the Local Plan Review
- Inform clearly: Provide relevant and accessible information
- Work together: Co-ordinate across boundaries and organisations
- Be accountable: Show how consultation comments have been considered and explain where changes have been made to the Local Plan Review as a result
- Protect data: Respect personal privacy in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and our Planning Policy Privacy Notice.
- Stay efficient: Meet the timescales set out in the Local Plan Review timetable
4.4: We are currently analysing feedback from the consultation which will be used to finalise the LPR Engagement Strategy later this year.