New Local Plan gets Cabinet approval

Once adopted, the Local Plan will update the borough’s planning policies and give Havering more control over development and growth, ensuring it’s of a high standard and in the right places.

The plan covers five key areas:

• Good quality housing growth in the right areas
• Improved transport infrastructure
• Improved social infrastructure, including schools and hospitals
• Protecting Havering’s most valued assets, including heritage and the Green Belt and making sure new development is of high quality
• Economic growth to improve the lives of Havering residents.

Speaking on the subject, Councillor Damien White, Deputy Leader of the Council, said:

"The new Plan is about protecting the Green Belt and ensuring development happens in the right places. Planning for new homes will help young residents get on the property ladder and stay in the area they know and love. If we don’t plan for new homes, we’ll fall foul of national rules giving us less local control over planning decisions.

The Plan is about more than homes or infrastructure; it’s about making the borough a better place for its residents. This means helping to secure new schools, health facilities and transport links."

Subject to Member approval at Full Council, consultation on the draft Local Plan will take place in late summer. The Plan will then be examined by the Planning Inspectorate. This is likely to happen in late 2017 or early 2018.