Every local authority in England is required to have a Local Plan setting out its vision and strategies for the social and economic development of the District over a 20 year period.
Dover had such a Plan to extend from 2006 to 2026, however national policies have made that non compliant and it is being updated.
The National Planning Policy framework was developed and national government radically changed the new homes target for each district. In the case of the Dover district this target has doubled.
So Dover District Council now has to set out a new strategic policy for the period 2020 to 2040 including identifying all the sites where new housing development might take place. Among many other things it has to identify how our Heritage including conservation areas is to be protected and how our natural environment is to be conserved in a future where climate change will be a constant factor.
The Plan can be viewed on a special DDC website at www.doverdistrictlocalplan.co.uk.
All of this is central to the core purpose of the Deal Society so we will be scrutinizing the Plan with great care.