Rugby's Local Plan to get full review in decision labelled 'absolute madness'

Local plans are used by councils as a guide to what can be built where, shaping infrastructure investments and determining the future pattern of development in the borough. Rugby’s plan currently has eight years left to run.

In proposing the review, Cllr Ian Picker (Con, Hillmorton), the council’s portfolio holder for growth and investment, said: “We are required to conduct a local plan review as part of our statutory duty every five years and the decision before us this evening is whether we want to go for a full review or a partial review and on what timescale.

“I have considered the options and discussed what we can do with our officers and my view is that we should move forward with a full review - and it is not a decision I arrived at lightly.

“Much of the cost of the local plan is in commissioning evidence to support the strategic decisions. That will need to be commissioned whether it is a full review or a partial review and it may involve green belt reviews.

“The cost saving of restricting the review to just some of the policies will be minimal because the most important policies relating to employment and housing needs would be included in either review. If we did a partial review we would, in effect, save money now to spend more money later.”

But such a decision was attacked by opposition councillors. Cllr Michael Moran (Lab, Admirals and Cawston) said: “There is an economic crisis now and for that simple reason, to go head long into this full review now is absolute madness, it beggars belief.

“If there was a league table of local authorities and the status of the local plan, it is one of the few occasions when Rugby would be competing for silverware. You are smashing it out of the park.

“A partial review of key policy areas would be the most sensible approach - HMOs, climate change, gypsy and travellers etc. The evidence needed to back up a partial review would be much less expensive.

“If we open Pandora’s box to an update of the local plan it will initiate a call to arms of every developer to engage professional consultants to find ways around our protectionist policies, most typically the green belt. It also sends out a sign of weakness - a statement that we are insecure of our current plan and that it needs updating. It puts neighbourhoods and villages on high alert when there is no need.”

It was previously reported in the Advertiser that the full review, going right the way through to an inspector examing it, is estimated to cost almost £500,000, although council leader Cllr Seb Lowe also made the point at the recent cabinet meeting, that the cost of a full review would not be much more than the option of a partial one.