Overview 

On 28th September 2004 the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 came into effect. The Act introduced significant changes to the Development Plan system, including the abolition of district-wide local plans and their replacement with a series of Local Development Documents (LDDs). Together, the LDDs will comprise the Local Development Framework (LDF) for the district authority area. There are different types of LDD.

Development Plan Documents

Development Plan Documents (DPDs), are policy documents which either make policy which will be used to determine planning applications and or they allocate areas or sites for particular types of development. DPDs are required to be submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination in public. Government guidance is that the following DPDs should be produced:

• A Core Strategy for the local authority area (mandatory);
• Those that present site specific allocations (mandatory);
• A Proposals Map (mandatory);
• Area Action Plans (optional); and
• Other DPDs considered appropriate by the local authority (optional).

The DPDs produced by the local authority will form part of the statutory Development Plan for the local authority area.

Supplementary Planning Documents

Other LDDs, termed Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs), will replace the former Supplementary Planning Guidance. SPDs will not be subject to independent examination. They will provide more detail on how key policies or allocations in DPD's will be implemented and can be site specific Masterplans or topic specific.

Local Development Scheme

The Local Development Scheme sets out the status and programme for production of the documents which make up the Swale Local Development Framework. The second revision to this was approved by the Secretary of State on 12 November 2010.

The Local Development Scheme must identify:

• The LDDs to be prepared and the timetable for their preparation and/or review;
• Those LDDs that will comprise DPDs (SPDs do not have to be shown but are included for info only).
  

Statement of Community Involvement

The SCI is a statement of the authority's policy as to the involvement of persons who appear to the authority to have an interest in matters relating to development in their area in regard to the preparation of LDDs and the consideration of major development schemes.

Swale Borough Council's LDF 

A full list of Local Development Documents adopted, proposed or in production at November 2010 are set out in the Local Development Scheme (see above). The main documents comprise:

Under preparation

• Core Strategy DPD
• Area Action Plan DPD for Faversham Creekside 

Adopted

• Conservation Area Review SPDs (January 2012)
  

• Landscape Character and Biodiversity Appraisal SPD (September 2011)
• Stones Farm Development Brief SPD (May 2011)
• Queenborough and Rushenden Masterplan SPD (November 2010)
• Sittingbourne Town Centre and Milton Creek Masterplan SPD (September 2010)
• Developer Contributions SPD (November 2009)
• Statement of Community Involvement (September 2008)
• Kent Design SPD (2008)
• Swale Borough Local Plan 2008 (February 2008)

The Evidence Base

In order to inform the Local Development Framework, evidence is currently being gathered. As it is completed, details will be made available below:

1. Kent Science Park Economic Assessment (April 2008) [File Size 842 kb]
2. East Kent Strategic Housing Market Assessment (Final Report) [ File Size 3.14 mb]
   • Annexes [File Size 1.23 mb]
   • Technical Appendix [File Size 2.6 mb]
3. Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
4. Climate Change Guidelines
5. Gypsy and Traveller Policy [File Size 636 kb]
6. Open Space Assessment
7. Employment Land Review - final
8. Landscape Character Assessment
9. Urban Extension Landscape Capacity Study (June 2010)
10. Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment
11. Swale Housing Stock Condition Report 2010
12. Health Impact Assessment
13. Retail and Town Centre Study  (Addendum 1, Addendum 2, Addendum 3)
14. North Kent Gypsy and Traveller Study and North and West Kent Travelling Show People Study
15. Developing Cultural Infrastructure as part of Sittingbourne Town Centre Regeneration
16. Community Consultation
17. High Speed Rail in Kent
18. Community Infrastructure Provision
19. The Future of Farming in Kent and Planning Matters of Concern to Farmers
20. Water Infrastructure and Environmental Capacity Assessment [File Size 1.93mB], Appendix B (Amendment) [File size 240kb]
21. Annual Monitoring Report 2009-10
22. Demographic and labour supply forecasts
23. Swale Renewable Energy & Sustainable Development Study (AECOM, Nov 2011)  (split into sections for ease of viewing)
    Executive Summary, Contents and Introduction
    Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5;
    Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8
24. Economic Impact of Tourism on the Borough of Swale 2009 [File size 800kb]

Topic Papers

A series of Topic Papers intended to set out the baseline information that will inform the Local Development Framework are available to download below:

1. Demography and Social Trends [File Size 2.40 mb]
2. Policy Context (Yet to be available)
3. The Natural Environment [File Size 3.02 mb]
4. The Built Environment [File Size 439 kb]
5. The Economy Topic Paper(File Size 244 kb)
6. Tourism (Yet to be available)
7. Retail (File Size 1.0 mb)
8. Housing (Yet to be available)
9. Leisure and Open Space (Yet to be available)
10. Water [File Size 3.56 mb]
11. Transport (Yet to be available)

(Other Topic Papers to follow).

Public Consultations

1. Development Plan Document for Faversham Creek
   We asked for your views on the regeneration of the Creek area (from May 23 2011). Consultation has now ended.
   Find out more about the DPD for Faversham Creek
2. Pick your own - Issues and Strategic Options
   The Council is preparing its Core Strategy. As part of this work, it will be publishing a consultation document called Pick your own. Consultation ended on the 14 March 2011.
   Find out more about Pick your own
3. The Council has recently undertaken a review of the conservation areas at Sittingbourne, Queenborough and Sheerness: Naval Dockyard and Bluetown.
   The consultation period ran from 22 November 2010 until 10 January 2011.
   Find out more about our Conservation Area review
4. Swale Borough Council has adopted (September 2011) a new Supplementary Planning Document, the Swale Landscape Character and Biodiversity Appraisal following consultation during October and November 2010. It now forms part of the Local Development Framework (LDF) for the Swale Borough.
   Find out more about our Landscape Character Appraisal
5. Swale Borough Council has published a new draft Supplementary Planning Document. This SPD takes the form of a development brief for Stones Farm, which is located off the A2, east of Sittingbourne. Consultation on this document has now closed (October 15 2010).
   Find out more about Stones Farm
6. Swale Borough Council consulted on future Gypsy and Traveller site provision within the borough, including site specific proposals made up of existing sites and new proposed sites. This consultation is now closed.
   Find out more about Gypsy and Traveller site provision
7. Swale Borough Council also consulted with the public on the updated draft paper called A Clearer Vision for the Council's Core Strategy. This strategy is the council's overarching strategic planning policy statement that will guide future development in the borough to the year 2031. This consultation is now closed.
   Find out more about our Core Strategy

How to get involved

If you want to be kept informed about the forthcoming LDF consultations, then why not register with the Council's on-line consultation system?

Land Availability Assessment 

View the latest Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessments (SHLAA) for 2008/09.

More Information

If you would like any further advice and information about the Council's proposals for its LDF, please contact us on (01795) 417023, 417376 or 417344 or by email. Alternatively you can download our latest LDF bulletin.