City council launches consultation on Liverpool’s Local Plan

Liverpool's Local Plan will see around 29,600 new homes being built.

Liverpool City Council’s cabinet has announced that it will be taking its draft Local Plan to consultation for a six week period in September and October. The Plan, which outlines how the council will manage population growth until 2033, is expected to see around 29,600 new homes being built.

The plan also sets out key priorities for business growth, protection of green spaces, and managing development within district centres as the local authority looks to shape the city’s growth over the coming years.

The issue of development has sparked some debate in the city; with May’s local elections seeing gains for the Liberal Democrats and an increase in the share of the vote for the Green Party, reflecting local concerns over the sale of green spaces for housing in areas such as Allerton and nearby Sefton Park. Significantly, Steve Rotheram, MP for Walton, won the Labour selection for the City Region mayoral elections, beating current Liverpool mayor Joe Anderson, on a campaign ticket that promoted the protection of green space and parkland.

It’s little surprise therefore that two of the the key priorities highlighted in the Local Plan are to protect Liverpool’s parks and prioritising brownfield development to meet Liverpool’s housing targets.

Speaking to the Liverpool Echo last week, Malcolm Kennedy, Liverpool’s cabinet member for regeneration said the Local Plan demonstrated the council’s commitment to “building new homes… [and] protecting our parks and opening up new ways for future generations to enjoy them.”

The council’s aims to protect green spaces will be put to the test following the announcement from the Department of Communities and Local Government that  states that new housing projections will mean a further 9,000 households are to be expected in Liverpool, on top of the 29,600 already planned for. This could cause political issues for the council’s leadership as further protests and green protection campaigns are set up in a bid to keep the local authority focused on developing brownfield sites to fulfil its housing need.

Commenting on the public consultation, Kenedy said: “Everyone living in Liverpool will be affected by this plan and what it sets out to achieve – which is a healthier and more prosperous city – which is why we want to hear from as many people as possible when the consultation launches in September.”

The six-week consultation will be launched early next month and the final plan is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017.

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