Just to update readers on the current progress of Cornwall’s Local Plan and Consultation on proposed changes to the submitted Cornwall Local Plan Strategic Policies 2010 – 2030\n\nThe Council will be consulting on its proposed changes to the Local Plan between 25th January and 7th March 2016.\n\nIntroduction: The Examination in Public (EiP) of the Cornwall Local Plan commenced in May 2015. The Inspector indicated after the first session of the EiP that he considered that areas of the plan were potentially unsound and needed to be amended to achieve soundness. The EiP was suspended at the Council’s request in June 2015. The Inspector subsequently set out matters that he wished to see resolved through the production of additional evidence or proposed modifications to the version of the Local Plan already considered in the first part of the EiP. \nAfter additional work in response to the Inspector’s comments, the draft Local Plan has been amended and the proposed modifications agreed at a meeting of the full Council on the 15th of December 2015.\nConsultation procedure: \nThe Inspector has been clear that representations can be made and should be accepted by the Council only where they relate to the published changes. It is not an opportunity for fresh representation to be made on the whole of the plan. Existing representations made to the Submission Version of the Local Plan remain before the Inspector. The proposed changes are therefore set out in a schedule with unique reference number for each to assist representations. \nThe substantive changes are:\n• Overall housing requirement increased to 52,500 to reflect the reassessment of the Full Objectively Assessed Need; \n• Additional clarity given for assessing Parish housing requirements.\n\n• Better links to the Economic Strategies;\n\n• Affordable housing targets adjusted to reflect the viability evidence;\n\n• Targets updated for Gypsy and Travelling communities; \n\n• Provides additional detail on the consideration of European Special Areas of Conservation; and\n\n• Incorporates C.N.A policy intent into the main policies.\n\nAll comments are made for the consideration by the inspector at the examination. Because the examination is technically still live, the Council cannot unilaterally revise the plan at this stage of the process. It will be for the Inspector to recommend changes to the Council after his Examination. \nFurther steps: \nConsultation on the proposed further modifications will commence in 25th January 2016 for a period of six weeks until the 7th of March. The documents will be available in all One-Stop-Shops and Libraries as well as on the Council’s web-pages. \nThe Inspector will advise on the date of recommencement for the EiP in due course. \nMore details can be found HERE: