Implications of recent government announcements on the production of the Core Strategy

The Coalition Government has made a commitment to abolish Regional Strategies and return decision making powers on the amount of housing development within local authority areas to local councils. These changes have significant implications for the Core Strategy, which will need to be carefully considered before the document can be progressed to the next stage.

The Government has not issued detailed guidance on these changes as yet and it is therefore likely that the progression of the Core Strategy will be delayed until the implications of this announcement are fully understood. The Government has made it clear that ‘the LDF process should not be abandoned and the abolition of Regional Strategies is not a signal for local authorities to stop making plans for their area’. Local authorities are being encouraged to review their plans as quickly as possible. This is what Ashfield District Council is proposing to do.