This section focuses on planning policy; it explains how we will engage with the community and how you can get involved in the plan-making process.

At the heart of planning policy is the Development Plan which is the starting point for making decisions on planning applications. The existing Development Plan includes the Exeter Core Strategy, which sets out the vision for Exeter and includes policies to address strategic issues, and saved policies from the Exeter Local Plan First Review, which sets out more detailed policies. We are currently working on a new Local Plan which will eventually replace these documents. The Exeter St James Neighbourhood Plan has been ‘made’ and also forms part of the Development Plan as do the Devon Minerals and Waste Plans.

Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) can be used to provide further guidance for development on specific sites (in the form of Masterplans or other site specific plans), or on specific issues and, once adopted, are also a relevant consideration when making decisions on planning applications.

Planning policy also includes other documents including this one, the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), and the Local Development Scheme (LDS) which sets out the timescale for the production of policy documents.

Finally, related to the Local Plan, the City Council has a delivery concept called Liveable Exeter. This includes a series of ambitions to deliver high quality development on potential sites within the city. Engagement will be a key part of the Liveable Exeter concept.

 

Who do we consult?

We are committed to open and honest dialogue with the community and try to include a wide range of groups, organisations and individuals in the writing of planning policy. This section explains who we consider to be the ‘community’.

’The community’ means residents, businesses, community and interest groups, landowners, developers, adjoining local authorities, government agencies and any other individuals, groups and organisations interested in the development and use of land in the City. We have developed a list of consultees based on relevant legislation, Planning Practice Guidance, our past experience and previous consultations. Anyone can request to be added to, or removed from, this planning policy consultation database at any time.

Legislation sets out requirements for who we should consult, and when. There are certain bodies or organisations that we must consult (2) but we will also consider whether to consult more widely with non statutory consultees as appropriate on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes policies or proposals will have a localised impact within a particular area and in this instance consultation is carried out on an area basis rather than across the City as a whole. This is subject to fulfilling the minimum legal requirements. The specific and general statutory consultees for planning policy are set out at Appendix A.

(2 - Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012, Regulation 18 (2)(c))

Under-represented groups

We want to hear from all members of our community, but are particularly keen to hear from those groups who may often be under-represented in the planning processes, including those groups with protected characteristics under the legislation (3). These groups include, but are not limited to:

• Children and young people
• Young adults
• Lone parents
• Those with disabilities (both physical and mental)
• Those who don’t speak English as their first language
• Black and minority ethnic people
• The Traveller community including Irish Traveller and Romany Gypsy community
• Liveaboard boaters / boat dwellers
• The military
• Residents who work outside Exeter
• People who work in Exeter but live elsewhere
• Religious groups
• Those from a lower socio-economic background
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community
• Carers

We will work with other teams and with partner organisations (including Exeter Connect – see glossary) to help us reach the under-represented groups so they may have more of a voice in shaping planning decisions.

(3 - Equality Act 2010)

 

How do we consult?

We will select the most appropriate consultation methods depending on what document we are producing, what we are seeking to achieve and which stage in the process we have reached. We may communicate using:

• Website – to report progress on producing documents and to ensure consultation documents are available to view.
• Document deposit points – to make available paper copies of consultation documents at Exeter Civic Centre and at libraries.
• Direct notification – to notify, by email or by post, interested bodies, organisations or individuals that the Council considers would have an interest in the consultation or need to be consulted according to legislation.
• Face-to-face consultation – Presentations, exhibitions, or information events for the public and other interested parties to discuss proposals and encourage engagement. If appropriate, more involved consultation methods may include bespoke meetings of representative groups, workshops, or focus group sessions where a specific issue needs more in-depth discussion.
• Online events – the use of digital platforms for video calls, conferencing and discussions to discuss proposals and encourage engagement.
• Media advertising – the use of radio, TV, newspapers and social media to notify stakeholders of an opportunity to view and/or comment on planning documents.

All consultations relating to planning policy documents will adhere to the Consultation Charter.

Through Liveable Exeter, the Council will strengthen communities and create new neighbourhoods. Using innovative and interactive engagement tools, the Council will better inform communities about Liveable Exeter and enable them to shape emerging development proposals as they come forward, as well as feeding into the new Exeter (Local) Plan.

 

The Development Plan (formal planning policy)

Producing the Development Plan is a lengthy process. A significant amount of technical evidence is required to support the plan, we need to take account of the National Planning Policy Framework and Planning Practice Guidance (see glossary) and wide ranging input is needed from organisations and communities.

We will use a variety of approaches to obtain comments and feedback and to ensure there is ongoing engagement and exchange of information throughout the plan preparation process. The various stages of Development Plan preparation will require different forms of consultation, some formal and some less formal. However, in every case the aim is to provide residents and communities with knowledge and understanding about issues which may affect them, and provide opportunities for those interested to give us their opinions and share local knowledge. For formal stages of consultation the minimum legal requirements are set out in relevant legislation (4). However, we may go beyond these requirements where necessary in relation to specific issues. In some cases we may engage through workshops, exhibitions and online events.

Formal consultations will be for a minimum of 6 weeks. We will try to avoid holding consultations during August and over the Christmas/New Year period. However, where this is unavoidable, due to the need to make progress, we will ensure a reasonable part of the consultation period lies outside these periods.

During each stage of consultation the scope will be made clear and we will provide a named contact so that people know who they can speak to about the proposals. There will often be a list of questions available to direct your responses. The style of questions we ask will need to evolve as the plans progress. For example, early consultations may include wide-ranging, less formal questions and in later consultations the questions may become more specific and formal. This is needed to make sure we hold consultation in line with legislation.

Once a plan is fully drafted and is submitted to the Secretary of State, an independent examination discusses whether it is ‘sound’ and legally compliant. The examination usually involves informal discussions which are held by the Inspector to discuss specific issues which they think are relevant. We will publicise information about the progress of the examination on the website, including any information about hearing sessions. The Inspector will have access to all the written comments made at the final publication consultation and will also have a report written by us summarising the main issues and the response to them. The Inspector may still wish to hear verbal presentations from interested people or organisations and may subsequently require us to make modifications to the plan before it goes on to be adopted by us.

The key stages of the process for Development Plan preparation are set out at Appendix B.

(4 - The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012)

 

Supplementary Planning Documents

The process for producing SPDs also involves gathering evidence and engaging with relevant bodies and interested parties and the public, but due to the less formal (non-statutory) nature of SPDs, there is only one formal stage of consultation (for a minimum of 4 weeks) when anyone can make comments. There is no public examination of the document.

We will consider comments made through the consultation stage and, if necessary, will incorporate changes into the document.

The key stages of the process for SPD preparation are set out at Appendix C.

Neighbourhood Plans

Neighbourhood Plans are led by the community for the community. Those communities will ultimately be asked to vote on the final draft of the Neighbourhood Plan in a referendum.

Although Neighbourhood Plans form part of the Development Plan once ‘made’ i.e. agreed through referendum, the plans are not produced or written by us; they are usually developed by a ‘Neighbourhood Forum’ (NF) and cover a specific area. However, we do have responsibility for parts of the process and offer advice and assistance to support the production of a Neighbourhood Plan.

We have adopted a ‘Neighbourhood Planning Protocol’ which explains how we will support local communities in undertaking neighbourhood planning (5). A process checklist is also available to help ensure that communities meet the legislative requirements. Both documents are available to view on our website.

The key stages of the process for Neighbourhood Planning are set out in Appendix D.

(5 - Under Schedule 4B of the 1990 Act local planning authorities have a statutory duty (sometimes also referred to as the ‘duty to support’) to give such advice or assistance to designated)

 

What happens to the comments I make?

We will take any comments you make on planning policy into account and, where appropriate, changes will be incorporated into the subsequent version of the document. All comments will be published once email addresses and personal signatures have been removed.

The comments made by individuals and organisations will be balanced against evidence, comments from statutory bodies (based on their expertise), legal requirements, national and local policies, and other relevant considerations. Inevitably there will be times when we do not consider alterations to the policy document are necessary.

In the case of the Development Plan individuals and groups will have a further opportunity to make their views known through the public examination process (see Appendix B).