Why We Are Consulting
What is the New Southwark Plan?
The New Southwark Plan is a regeneration strategy for Southwark which will provide an overarching strategy for managing growth and development across the borough. The plan sets out how we will deliver further regeneration and wider improvements to our borough in the years to come. The NSP is a spatial plan. Not only does it set out planning policies to guide development but it also explains how development will be delivered and may inform future decisions about investment in infrastructure. The final NSP will replace the saved policies of the Southwark Plan 2007 and the Core Strategy 2011 and will be used to make decisions on planning applications.
What has happened so far?
The NSP was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for Examination in January 2020. Since the last rounds of consultation, January - May 2019 for the Amended Policies and October 2017 - February 2018 for the Proposed Submission Version, we have made modifications to the plan as a result of the comments that were received from the Inspectors. Because of this, we are consulting on the Council’s Proposed Changes to the Submitted New Southwark Plan, which includes amendments to the plan that was submitted to the Inspectorate in January 2020.
What is happening now?
This consultation will focus on the NSP: Southwark Council’s Proposed Changes to the Submitted New Southwark Plan 2020, as well as a number of updated evidence base documents that have been submitted to the Inspectors after the submission of the plan. These evidence base documents include: a Habitats Regulation Assessment, Viability Assessments, Sustainability Appraisals, Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and a Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment Report, which have not required an amendment to the plan. The following documents have been prepared:
- NSP Southwark Council’s Proposed Changes to the Submitted New Southwark Plan 2020 and to include a Key Diagram (update to NSP01 and NSP01A) (EIP27A–C)
- Schedule of Changes from the PSV/APV NSP (EIP27D)
- Consultation Plan (updated August 2020) and statement of representations procedure (EIP74)
- NSP Consultation Report (updated 2022 with tracked changes) and appendices (EIP73)
- Health impact assessment (updated July 2020) (EIP77)
- Updated Equalities Analysis Impact Assessment (updated July 2020) (EIP76A–C)
- Statement of Conformity and legal checklist (EIP75)
- Updated Integrated Impact Assessment – IIA (EIP72)
- Integrated Impact Assessment: Appendices 1-11 (updated July 2020) (EIP72A)
- Habitats Regulation Assessment (updated April 2020) (EIP23)
- NSP Director’s Report (August 2020) (EIP71)
- Inspectors’ response to Southwark Law Centre (June 2020) (EIP26)
- List of examination documents (EIP70A-B)
- Letter from Natural England (April 2020) (EIP21)
- Updated Statement of Common Ground with Environment Agency (July 2020) (EIP64)
- Southwark Site Allocations Methodology Paper (updated July 2020) (EIP82)
- Viability Appraisal Background Paper (EIP20)
- Viability Assessments (EIP17–EIP19)
- Housing background paper addendum – Gypsy and Traveller Update (EIP78)
- Gypsy and Traveller Needs Assessment (EIP22)
- Tall building background paper (July 2020) (EIP54)
- Heritage supplementary planning document Consultation Version (July 2020) (EIP55)
- Energy Background Paper (EIP59)
- Strategic Flood Risk Assessment update (EIP15A–D)
- The Local Development Scheme (EIP66)
Consultation on the Proposed Changes to the Submitted New Southwark Plan will run from 27th August 2020 up until 26th October 2020. The document can be downloaded from the ‘examination documents’ page of our website.
How will my comments be taken into account?
The Inspectors will be taking into account all duly made representations on the 2017/18 Proposed Submission Version (PSV) plan. They will also take into account those representations already received on the 2019 Amended Policies Version (APV) content.
All currently received representations can be found on the ‘examination documents’ webpage under Representations.
Accordingly, as part of the next consultation representations that have already been made on either the PSV or APV plan content should not be re-submitted as the Inspectors have already received all representations from the PSV and APV consultations. Representations should be received from:
- Anyone who was unable to comment on the APV content and now wishes to do so; and
- Anyone who now wishes to comment on the latest proposed changes (the January 2020 schedule of changes and its accompanying tracked change version of the plan and any other changes on or since submission) and the latest evidence base
As with the previous two rounds of consultations, at this stage we are required to ask two specific questions which will give our residents and stakeholders an opportunity to comment on how the New Southwark Plan has been prepared, that its aims are achievable and that the plan is based on a robust evidence base. These questions are more commonly known as the ‘Test of Soundness.’ These are the same questions the independent Planning Inspectors will be asking as part of the examination.
1. Is the Local Plan Legal?
A plan is considered legal when it complies with section 20(5) (a) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
You may wish to consider the following before making a representation on legal compliance:
• Whether the Local Plan has regard to national policy and guidance issued by the Secretary of State
• Whether the Local Plan has been prepared in-line with our Local Development Scheme (LDS)
• Whether community consultation has been carried out in accordance with our adopted Statement of Community Involvement
• Whether an Integrated Impact Assessment assessing social, environmental and economic factors has been prepared and made public.
• Whether the requirements of the Duty to Co-operate have been met. The Localism Act, section 110, and the National Planning Policy Framework, paragraphs 24 to 27, creates a duty on all local planning authorities and other bodies to cooperate with each other to address strategic issues in the preparation of the Local Plan
2. Is the Local Plan ‘Sound’?
As part of the examination, the independent Planning Inspector is required to consider if the New Southwark Plan has been positively prepared, justified, effective, and is consistent with national policy.
You may wish to consider the following before making a representation on the Soundness of our plan:
• Positively Prepared: This means that we have objectively assessed the need for homes, jobs, services and infrastructure and these have been delivered sustainably. If you think that our assessments are not objective or do not take sufficient account of unmet needs in neighbouring authorities then your comments relate to whether our Local Plan has been positively prepared or not.
• Justified: This means that the Plan is based upon a robust and credible evidence base. If you think that the evidence doesn’t support the choice made in our Local Plan or there are realistic alternatives then your comments relate to whether it is justified.
• Effective: This means that the Plan is achievable. If you think that what we are proposing in the Local Plan will not happen as the required infrastructure cannot be provided, the groups who will deliver elements of it haven’t signed up to it or our Local Plan does not join up with the strategies of our neighbouring authorities, then your comments relate to whether our Local Plan is effective or not.
• Consistent with national policy: Do you consider that our Local Plan accords with the National Planning Policy Framework, the London Plan, other policies or includes clear and convincing reasons for doing something different? Alternatively, you may think that the Local Plan should depart from national policy due to an identified and justified local need.
Please note:
- Reference to ‘Section 20 of the Act’ refers to Section 20 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. You can find out more information about this by viewing and downloading Section 20 of the Act here: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2004/5/section/20
- The New Southwark Plan document and associated documents are available on our website:
https://www.southwark.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy-and-transport-policy/new-southwark-plan?chapter=4
- All comments will be made public and will be submitted to the Secretary of State, along with the New Southwark Plan and other relevant supporting evidence following this consultation.
- We will not consider confidential or anonymous responses. Your comments and name will be published, but other personal information will remain confidential.
- Please note there is an opportunity to work with us on a Statement of Common Ground which we will consider prior to the Hearing sessions starting. The questionnaire asks you to confirm if you would like to get involved in this.
- If you are sending your comments outside of the consultation hub via e-mail you should clearly state in your representation that you would like to work on a Statement of Common Ground.
- If you would like to prepare a Statement of Common Ground based on representations already submitted to the Proposed Submission Version/Amended Policies of the New Southwark Plan, please contact us to request this.
To contact us:
Email: planningpolicy@southwark.gov.uk
or call either: 0207 525 4929 or 07731 325511
You can also write to:
Planning Policy
Southwark Council
PO BOX 64529
London
SE1P 5LX
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