Current Status and Objectives of the WBC Local Plan
Wirral Borough Council is currently working to finalise its draft statutory development plan, generally known as the ‘Local Plan’. This was submitted as required by law to the government’s Planning Inspectorate last autumn, and the Council has now received initial feedback from the Inspectorate. Amongst other things, the Plan sets out the Council’s objectives and strategy for building and infrastructure across the Borough, now until 2040.
The Wirral Society chairman, Rod Tann, along with representatives of several other local conservation groups, recently met with senior WBC planning officials in which the officials said they were pleased with the Inspectorate’s positive response. Some changes to the plan have been requested, but its overall strategy of ‘Urban Regeneration’ – principally, that future building development be prioritised for so called ‘brown-field’ – land previously build on, thus requiring no Green Belt release.
It is hoped that the amended Local Plan can get approval from the Inspectorate by the autumn. At some point the finalised Plan will be made available for public consultation.
Bernard Liddy