Berkeley hope as plan is rejected (From Gazette Series)

Berkeley hope as plan is rejected

FEARS of a planning free-for-all in Gloucestershire have been ignited after the Government Office for the South West (GOSW) rejected the county council's latest Structure Plan.

The decision could, however, give a stay of execution for those people opposed to the building of 300 homes in Berkeley, as the GOSW is demanding that fewer rural areas be developed.

Last Friday First Secretary of State John Prescott and the GOSW ordered the county council to further modify the Structure Plan to accommodate more housing in principal urban areas (PUAs).

Berkeley's county councillor Basil Booth (Con) said: "At first sight it looks like good news for Berkeley but one can never tell in this kind of situation. "If they are saying that development should be concentrated in the PUAs then there is no case at all for trying to make Berkeley a principal settlement.

"But we will just have to wait and see whether this latest development is enough to overturn the Local Plan inspector's report."

County officials fear the Structure Plan may not now be adopted, leaving the council with less control over future planning matters and under pressure from developers to allow contentious applications.

Peter Bungard, the council's executive director for the environment, said: "If we can't adopt the plan it would cause uncertainty for the district councils. "This would result in much less control on the future planning of the county, which would be a blow to local democracy."

In January, the council proposed modifications to the plan in an attempt to satisfy the concerns of the GOSW regarding the amount and location of development up to 2016.

The modifications gave greater focus to residential development around the principal urban areas of Cheltenham and Gloucester, with 1,375 more homes proposed for those areas instead of in the rural districts.

However, the GOSW has decided that the modifications do not go far enough and has directed the council to think again.

Mr Bungard added: "This is a very disappointing outcome as far as the council is concerned, as it was hoped that an up-to-date Structure Plan could be adopted in the near future."

The GOSW directives open up the possibility of Green Belt development before 2016 and require 60 percent of residential development to take place in principal urban areas.

However, there are concerns that focusing development on the PUAs will result in a lack of affordable housing provision in rural areas.

The county council will decide whether to adopt the directives or abandon the structure plan after the elections on May 5.

If the plan is not adopted the 1999 Structure Plan will be superseded by the South West Regional Assembly's Regional Spatial Strategy in 2007.