Sandwell Local Plan

Issues and Options Consultation

On the 7 December 2022, Sandwell Cabinet granted approval to consult on the Sandwell Local Plan Issues and Options document and carry out a Call for Sites exercise; 
The consultation runs from 9am on the 6th February to 5pm on the 20 March 2023

Sandwell Council are in the process of preparing a new local plan for the borough and are looking for local people, community groups, stakeholders and businesses to get involved in helping it do so. Every local council has a legal duty to make and adopt a local plan for its area. This document sets out a number of different policies and proposals that will help guide development and land use for at least 15 years and will be used to make decisions on planning applications during that time. The last local plan for Sandwell was adopted in 2012 and is now effectively out of date.

Prior to the publication of this Issues and Options document, Sandwell was closely involved in the production of a replacement for the Black Country Core Strategy, in the form of the Black Country Plan (BCP), alongside the other three Black Country councils. Work on the production of the joint BCP officially ceased in October 2022. 

Given the work that had already been undertaken on the joint plan, both in terms of evidence gathering and policy writing, and the fact that it had been through significant public consultation, we have decided that there is merit in retaining and adapting some of the draft BCP policies for our new Local Plan in Sandwell. 

Sandwell’s local plan will therefore include policies previously seen in the draft BCP and consulted upon and will adapt those policies to make them more specific to our borough, they can be viewed here.  These policies will be included in later stages of the drafting process for public consultation but are not included in the current Issues and Options report.

Information covered on this page

• Issues and Options Consultation
• Call for Sites 
• Accompanying Documents also for consultation
• Evidence
• Plan Making Process
• Contact Us

Issues and Options Consultation

The Issues and Options Consultation and accompanying Call for Sites will run from the 6th February to 20th March 2023. Comments made after this date will not be considered.

The content of the document can be viewed on the Online Consultation Page . Alternatively, the consultation documents are available here.

The document contains a number of inter-related topic areas, which together look at a wide range of issues in Sandwell – please feel free to comment on all of these issues or any of them that are of particular interest to you. 

Comments to the consultation can be made within the Online Consultation Page, where you will see the questions embedded within the text. Once you have created an account you will not have to complete a separate comments form for every question, you can simply answer the questions as you navigate through the document. Each section of the consultation document has a series of questions on key topics where we would like your views. A list of Frequently Asked Questions has been created, should you find this useful.
We would encourage you to submit your comments using the online Consultation Page. We have designed this portal with usability in mind and responding this way will also ensure officer time is used most efficiently in handling and analysing consultation responses. If you are unable to comment using the online Consultation Page, please read the How to Comment Page

 

Accompanying Documents also for consultation

Alongside the Issues and Options document, we are also consulting on the following documents;

• Sustainability Appraisal (SA)
• Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report 
• Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA)

These documents can be found here. If you have any comments, you can either:

• Complete the Issues and Options Comments Form (noting clearly which document you are referring to), or
• email your comments to Sandwell_LocalPlan@sandwell.gov.uk

Call for Sites

Alongside the consultation ion the Issues and Options Document, ca Call for Sites is underway. This process will provide landowners with the opportunity to submit land/sites for consideration in the plan-making process. Further details on the Call for Sites can be found on the Sandwell Plan Call for Sites.

Evidence 

The Issues and Options Consultation Document has been created alongside a number of pieces of Technical Evidence. These can all be viewed on our Technical Evidence webpage.

Plan Making Process

There are a number of different stages involved in the preparation of a Local Plan, with the key stages outlined below; the arrow shows the stage we are at now.

STAGE		TIMEFRAME
Evidence Gathering	The council conducts a range of detailed studies and considers everything a Local Plan needs, like how many new homes and jobs are needed and what supporting infrastructure is required.	Ongoing

STAGE WE ARE AT NOW

STAGE		TIMEFRAME
Issues & Options	• Public consultation on identifying relevant issues and potential options to meet different development needs • Call for Sites • Initial SA report	Feb 2023
Draft Plan	• Public consultation on the Council’s proposed draft plan which includes detailed policies and allocations • Draft SA Report	Autumn 2023
Publication Plan	• Sets out the final Local Plan for submission to the Secretary of State (SoS)/Government  • Public consultation on legal compliance and ‘soundness’  • Final draft SA Report	Summer 2024
Submission Plan & Examination	• Local Plan submitted to Government (Planning Inspectorate) with all the comments received during the Publication Plan    consultation  • Independent Examination carried out in public by a Planning Inspector • Final SA Report	Autumn 2025
Adoption	• Council formally adopts Local Plan  • SA Adoption Statement	Late 2025

 

 

 

Contact Details

You can contact us by

Email:         Sandwell_LocalPlan@sandwell.gov.uk

Telephone: 0121 569 4055

Post:           Planning Policy, Sandwell MBC, Council House, Freeth Street, Oldbury, B69 3DE