Core Strategy

Core Strategy DPD Examination

Hearing Library

Adoption of the Core Strategy

Following receipt of the Report on the Examination into Darlington Core Strategy Development Plan Document on 13 April 2011, Darlington Borough Council formally adopted its Core Strategy Development Plan Document (DPD) on 6 May 2011.

The Core Strategy DPD sets out how the Borough will develop over the next 15 years (2011-2026), and forms part of the Local Development Framework for the Borough. The policies in the Core Strategy replace several policies in the Borough of Darlington Local Plan (1997) that were ‘saved’ under the provisions of Section 38 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

The Path to Adoption

Darlington Borough Council submitted the Core Strategy to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, together with supporting documents and statements in October 2010. The hearing was held from the 25 to 27 January 2011, conducted by Planning Inspector Patrick T Whitehead Dip TP (NOTT), MRTPI. Further details of this can be seen on the Hearing Library.

Below, you can see the Core Strategy as it was submitted to the Inspector, alongside the Sustainability Appraisal, the Adopted Statement of Community Involvement and a statement setting out who was consulted; how they were invited to make representation; the number of representations received; a summary of the main issues raised and how those representations have been taken into account in the Submission Core Strategy.

The Council's initial responses to the representations made on the Publication Draft Core Strategy were also published. These can be seen below and are set out in the order of the Publication Draft Core Strategy. The schedule also includes some proposed minor changes that were included in the Proposed Minor Amendments Document (pdf above), and some new ones.

Publication Draft Core Strategy 2010

Representations were invited on the legality and soundness of the Publication Draft Core Strategy and the responses we received can be seen above. The representations were considered by a Planning Inspector alongside the Publication Draft Core Strategy for independent examination.

Publication of the draft strategy followed three earlier consultations.

Core Strategy Revised Preferred Options 2010

The consultation period on the above closed on 28 February. All comments received were considered in finalising the Core Strategy for publication, before submission to the Government for independent examination.

The documents that were published for consultation are set out below:

A range of Core Strategy Background papers [external link] have been relied upon in the preparation of the Core Strategy

Responses received to the consultation of the Core Strategy Revised Preferred Options

Summary of comments from public meetings [pdf document]

Core Strategy: Preferred Options 2008

Consultation on the Core Strategy: Preferred Options has now ended. The responses have been summarised and can be read in the summary document [pdf document, 373kb].

The same key issues are addressed, relating to:

  • Achieving a more Sustainable Community
  • A Prosperous Darlington
  • A Vibrant Town Centre and Accessible Local Services
  • Quality Housing for all
  • A Distinctive, Greener, Cleaner, Safer Darlington
  • A Healthy Darlington
  • Efficient and Effective Transport Infrastructure

Sustainability Appraisal - scoping report

The LDF must be subject to a Sustainability Appraisal (SA) to inform the production of its policies, and to help mitigate as far as possible any negative impacts that may arise from them. A SA scoping report has been produced to set out the sustainability objectives that will be used to appraise the revised policies within the Darlington Borough Council LDF, along with the background of other policies and baseline information used to arrive at the objectives. The final report has been produced following a period of consultation on a draft SA scoping report.

Issues and Options 2008

The Core Strategy Issues and Options consultation was carried out between 7 January and 15 February 2008. A total of 101 responses were received.

The Council report that summarises the consultation that has been undertaken and the consideration given to the responses can be viewed or downloaded here. Please note that Officer comments can be viewed at the end of each issue.

The responses to this consultation have been fed into the Core Strategy: Preferred Options (see above).

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