Please note: This consultation is now closed

Ipswich Borough Council recently on the Ipswich Local Plan Review Preferred Options, consisting of two documents: the Core Strategy and Policies Development Plan Document (DPD) Review Preferred Options and the Site Allocations and Policies (incorporating IP-One Area action Plan) DPD Review Preferred Options.    

What is a Local Plan?

A Local Plan determines the amount of future development needed in the Borough for land uses such as housing, offices, industry and retail.  It allocates sites for new development, identifies areas where development should be restricted and includes policies which are used for determining planning applications. The Local Plan Review will look ahead to 2036.

Public Consultation

The Council undertook a public consultation from Wednesday 16th January until Wednesday 13th March 2019. 

The Council is sought views on the:

• Visions and objectives;
• Core Strategy (‘CS’) policies;
• Development Management (‘DM’) policies; and 
• Site allocation (‘SP’) policies

Consultation Documents

Public consultation notice (Date of notice Wednesday 16th January 2019)

Core Strategy and Policies:

• Core Strategy and Policies Development Plan Document Review Preferred Options - includes the vision and objectives for the town, the high level strategic Core Strategy policies and a suite if policies to control, manage and guide development
• Plan 1 – District and Local Centres - map showing the District and Local Centres which provide local shopping, leisure and services
• Plan 2 – Flood Risk
• Plan 3 – Conservation Areas
• Plan 4 – Area of Archaeological Importance including Scheduled Ancient Monuments
• Plan 5 – Ipswich Ecological Network - map showing areas of high ecological value, buffer zones which protect core areas, corridors which improve connectivity and corridor buffer zones where encouragement will be given to enhancing the corridor function 
• Plan 6 – Green Corridors - map of green corridors which act as wildlife corridors and attractive, safe, off road links
• Site Allocations and Policies (incorporating IP-One Area Action Plan) Development Plan Document Review Preferred Options - identifies development sites in Ipswich and sets out the Council’s expectations for them

Site Sheets

The site sheets provide further information on the allocated uses proposed, history of the site, the current use of the site and any development constraints/ issues that are relevant. The reference number (i.e. IP003) of the site sheets correlate with policies in the Site Allocations and Policies DPD. Please note that sites on land with planning permission or awaiting a Section 106, as listed in Site Allocations and Policies DPD under Policy SP3, do not have site sheets.

• Site Sheets IP003 to IP014
• Site Sheets IP015 to IP039a
• Site Sheets IP040 to IP052
• Site Sheets IP054b to IP067a & b
• Site Sheets IP080 to IP129
• Site Sheets IP132 to IP150c
• Site Sheets IP150d to IP307
• Site Sheets IP346 to IP348

Policies Map

• Local Plan Policies Map - the policies map shows allocation and designations rising from policies in the local plan 
• Local Plan Policies Map IP-One Area Inset - policies map showing allocations and designations in the central Ipswich IP-One area 

Strategic Environmental Assessment, Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulation Assessment

• Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal (includes Non-Technical Summary) - a process for assessing the social, economic and environmental impacts of a plan. It aims to ensure that sustainable development is at the heart of the plan-making process
• Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal Appendices A - E
• Habitats Regulations Assessment of the Ipswich Borough Local Plan at Preferred Option Stage - this is an assessment of the potential effects of a proposed plan on sites of European importance for nature conservation

The Local Plan Preferred Options Policies Map can be viewed interactively by using GIS Online and selecting Local Plan Preferred Options 2019 in the top right of the screen. A user guide is available

Evidence Documents

• Draft Statement of Common Ground with the Ipswich Strategic Planning Area authorities - highlights agreement on cross boundary strategic issues with neighboring authorities and relevant organisations
• Issues and Options Consultation Statement Nov 2018 - sets out how the Council took into account comments from previous consultations
• Equality Impact Assessment - assesses the likely impact of the draft Local Plan on the protected groups
• Statement of Compliance with the Duty to Co-Operate - sets out how the Council co-operated with relevant authorities in relation to strategic cross boundary planning matters. 

Topic Papers

Topic papers highlight the information, evidence and feedback that has informed the choices made in formulating the draft policies.

• Topic Paper – Ipswich Garden Suburb (IGS) - provides context and further information to support Core Strategy Policy CS10 on the Ipswich Garden Suburb development proposals, formerly known as the ‘Northern Fringe’
• Topic Paper – Housing - explains the rationale and process for calculating housing need identified in Core Strategy Policy CS7. 
• Topic Paper – Retail & Town Centre - includes background evidence and justification in relation to the approach to retail need in Core Strategy Policy CS14, as well as proposed changes to Development Management Policy DM25
• Topic Paper - Air Quality, Transport & Green Infrastructure - provides greater detail and context on the matters of air quality, transport and green infrastructure which relate to various policies in the Core Strategy and Development Management Policies DPD Review
• Topic Paper - Economy - summarises the current and future economic position of Ipswich by way of job and employment land requirements which have informed Core Strategy Policy CS13.
• Draft Strategic Housing & Economic Land Availability Assessment (SHELAA) - identifies and assesses land in Ipswich for its residential and employment development potential. 
• SHELAA site map

This is a Local Plan Review and comments are invited on any aspect of the Core Strategy and Policies Development Plan Document (DPD) Review Preferred Options, or the Site Allocations and Policies (incorporating IP-One Area Action Plan) DPD Review Preferred Options.  However, as the DPDs have evolved from the adopted Local Plan documents, some respondents may find it helpful to see what has changed between the adopted 2017 version and this consultation version. Therefore, below are provided copies for download which show the changes to the adopted Local Plan in tracked form.  These are provided for information only.

Tracked Development Plan Documents

These are tracked changes versions of the two main documents. This has been included to demonstrate the changes between the adopted 2017 Local Plan Review and the proposed Preferred Options Local Plan Review.

• Core Strategy and Policies Development Plan Document Review Preferred Options- Tracked
• Site Allocations and Policies (incorporating IP-One Area Action Plan) Development Plan Document Review Preferred Options- Tracked

New Evidence Base documents for the Ipswich Local Plan Review to 2036

The Core Document Library contains the evidence used for the adopted Local Plan, but evidence which post-dates February 2017 is available on the New Evidence for the Ipswich Local Plan page.

Issues and Options Consultation (Friday 18th August – 30th October 2017)

A summary of the formal representations received can be viewed here and on the Consultation Module site.

Privacy notice

Ipswich Borough Council is the data controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 2018 and other regulations including the General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679). 

As part of our public task, we will process your comment, and store your contact details. Your comment and name will be made public as it will form part of the evidence base used to inform the creation of planning policy documents, but we will not publish your email address, contact address or telephone number. The above purposes may require disclosure of any data received in accordance with the Freedom of information Act 2000. We will use this information to assist in plan making and to contact you regarding the planning consultation process.

We will hold this information for 5 years (or until the plan preparation process and legal challenge period is complete if longer) and will contact you again before this period expires to see if you wish to continue to take part in other planning consultations.  For further information about how we use your data please visit www.ipswich.gov.uk/privacy