Any proposals for housing on the St George's Barracks site have been put back years
the decision was taken at a Special Full Council meeting last night
Any proposals for housing on the St George's Barracks site have been put back by at least four years following a decision by Rutland County Councillors last night.
They voted to scrap the local plan which is currently being examined and instead create a new one from scratch at a cost of £1.4 million pounds. That means a complete rethink on the St Georges scheme.
The decision was taken at a Special Full Council meeting, after Councillors voted not to revisit a previous decision made in March to reject a Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) grant of £29.4million – funding needed to support the development of a new garden community at St George’s Barracks.
Proposals for a St George’s garden community were included in the Draft Local Plan on the basis that Rutland had been awarded a HIF grant by Homes England. The Draft Local Plan was approved by Councillors in February 2020 and submitted for examination in February 2021, following a final round of statutory consultation. Councillors subsequently voted not to accept HIF funding for St George’s in March 2021. It has since been confirmed that no alternative source of funding is available.
Due to the absence of funding the current St George’s garden community proposals are no longer viable. Rutland County Council say this in turn undermines the viability and soundness of the wider Local Plan.
All Local Planning Authorities must have a valid Local Plan that sets out where future housing, employment and other development will take place over a period of at least 15 years, with an expectation from Government that up-to-date plans should be in place by December 2023.
The decision to withdraw the Local Plan means work must now begin on a new Plan. It is anticipated this will take around four years to prepare. Councillors also voted to set aside almost £1.4million to cover the cost of making a new Plan and operating without one during this period. Work on a new Local Plan for Rutland will begin as quickly as possible.
Rutland will not have an up-to-date policy framework to meet its housing and development needs while a new Local Plan is being prepared. The absence of a valid Local Plan will also impact Rutland’s five-year housing supply and make the county more susceptible to speculative, unplanned development.
Councillor Oliver Hemsley, Leader of Rutland County Council, said:
“I am disappointed with the decision to withdraw the Local Plan, in light of the wider implications for our county. However, I am committed to working with all Councillors to deliver a new Local Plan that allows Rutland to make the best of future housing and development opportunities. We need to protect what is unique and special about our county while meeting the needs of families, businesses and young people. The decision to withdraw the existing Local Plan is not without serious risks, which were made very clear to all Councillors. Our full focus must now be on working together to manage these risks and preparing a new Plan as quickly as possible"