Inspector running rule over masterplan for 8,000 homes

New document set to govern all borough planning until 2040

- Phil Corrigan

A PLANNING blueprint for 8,000 homes in North Staffordshire is to be scrutinised.

Newcastle's local plan will guide all development, including where homes and employment sites are built, up to the year 2040.

A three-week public examination is now being held to look into whether the plan is legal and complies with policy. If the document is given a clean bill of health by planning inspector Anne Jordan it will be adopted before the end of the year.

The plan shows how 400 homes a year can be built in the borough, and makes provision for at least 63 hectares of employment land. It sets out sites earmarked for development, including 14 pieces of land that will be taken out of the Green Belt.

The plan also includes policies relating to affordable housing, retail, transport and environmental issues.

Allan Clarke, planning policy manager at Newcastle Borough Council, told the examination’s first hearing on Tuesday the final draft plan was the culmination of four years of work and consultations.