Local Plan sets out how the city would meet the challenges of a predicted population rise of 47,000 people by creating 35,000 new homes and developing 370 acres of land for 38,000 new jobs. Tony McDonough reports

Businesses and residents in Liverpool will get their final chance to have a say on the city council’s 15-year masterplan at a series of public events.

The Local Plan sets out how the city would meet the challenges of a predicted population rise of 47,000 people by creating 35,000 new homes and developing 370 acres of land for 38,000 new jobs.

The plan, which was recently endorsed by the city council, has identified 100 detailed policies to manage this growth and also includes a new policy for controlling developments in the city centre and a new robust process to limit conversions of properties into homes in multiple occupation (HMOs).

Following consultations on the draft plan in 2014 and 2016 this is the final public consultation exercise before the plan is submitted to the Secretary of State for inspection.

The public consultation events will be held on:

• Tuesday, February 6 – 1pm to 7pm at Cunard Room, Cunard Building
• Friday, February 9 – 10.30am to 7pm at Rotunda College, Great Mersey Street, Kirkdale 
• Tuesday, February 20 – 11am – 5:30pm at Bean There Café, 376 Smithdown Road, Wavertree
• Thursday, March 1 – 11am to 7pm at Liverpool Central Library, William Brown Street

People can also download the plan and provide feedback online and via email until midnight on Friday, March 9 by clicking here http://www.liverpool.gov.uk/localplanconsultation

Key to the plan is to focus future development on brownfield land and making sufficient provision for regeneration projects and job creation in the city’s key employment areas.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson, who recently announced a new housing company is being set up to deliver 10,000 new homes, said: “Liverpool is undergoing unprecedented growth and this Local Plan sets out how and where this will continue and flourish.

“Everyone will be affected by this Local Plan which is why we’ve been consulting with businesses and residents for the past three years and why we will continue to get feedback to fine tune any of the policies before it goes to the Secretary of State.”

To be found sound, the Local Plan must comply with all necessary legal requirements and pass the tests of ‘soundness’, which require that it should have been positively prepared so that it meets the future development needs of Liverpool and it must be justified, effective and consistent with national policy.

Any comments, whether of support or objection to the soundness of the Local Plan, will be considered by the Inspector at an Examination in Public in the summer this year.

Once approved the Local Plan will then replace the existing Unitary Development Plan 2002 on all planning matters.