Newcastle Under Lyme's council has voted to approve its new Local Plan at a Full Council meeting on 8 July. The decision came despite serious reservations from the council's new leadership, who made clear this is not the plan they would have chosen themselves.
Council Leader Jonathan Gullis and Deputy Leader Graham Shaw faced a difficult choice. They could either approve the inherited plan that has already passed the Planning Inspector's examination, or reject it and leave Newcastle Under Lyme exposed to speculative development. Planning law favours developer applications when there is no up-to-date Local Plan in place, meaning applications could be submitted anywhere – including on greenfield and Green Belt land.
Financial risk also influenced the decision. Rejecting the Local Plan could result in costly appeal decisions going against the council. The council's leadership concluded that approving the plan was the safer option for the borough, despite their reservations about its contents.
The Local Plan does deliver some benefits for Newcastle Under Lyme. It directs development towards brownfield sites in town centres and supports Keele University's science and innovation district ambitions, which is expected to bring jobs and investment to the area.
For residents and businesses in Newcastle Under Lyme, this approval means the borough now has an up-to-date planning framework. This protects against speculative development applications and provides clarity on where future growth will be focused across the local area.