Replacement Unitary Development Plan (RUDP) for the Bradford District
3. Background and context to the RUDP
Introduction to the RUDP
There were a number of reasons for producing a replacement plan to the Unitary Development Plan for the Bradford District. These include:
- Changes in national policy, particularly on housing, and new guidance for the Yorkshire and Humber region.
- Changes in local circumstances, such as the publication of the 2020 Vision document and the fall in the number of new homes needed in the District.
- The need to improve links with related strategies, particularly:
- The Local Transport Plan, where policies on the location of development in the UDP will affect movement between where we work, live and spend our leisure time.
- The Joint Housing Strategy, because making the best use of existing housing reduces the need to build more.
- Issues raised by the Inspector, who examined the objections during the production of the adopted UDP, which Bradford Council had agreed to address at an early review.
The Replacement UDP will plan for the District's needs up to 2014. The adopted UDP has been the start point for the review of the District's needs, including sites for homes and jobs. The majority of sites from the adopted UDP which have not been developed need to be retained, unless they are no longer appropriate for development. Some new sites will also be required in order to meet the land requirements for the longer time horizon.
The Replacement UDP incorporates a new strategy for accommodating the development needs of the District. The Replacement UDP seeks to:
- Promote development of the most sustainable housing sites before those which are less sustainable.
- Encourage conversion of existing buildings, whilst continuing to preserve our national heritage.
- Build at higher densities and encouraging good design.
- Exploit the attractions of the locations of Airedale and South Bradford for business and industry.
- Introduce mixed-use areas where several uses including housing and business can exist side by side.
- Safeguard green belt and other open spaces.
- Enhance the role of the City, town, district and local centres.
- Reduce reliance on the private car.
- Carry out duties as the Minerals Planning Authority for the Bradford District.
- Promote use of renewable energy and improving the management of waste.
The Statutory Process
The process is slightly different from the adopted UDP because the Government has changed the procedures we have to follow. The key steps in the revised procedure are set out below. Additional guidance is provided by the Government on the Communities and Local Government website, see below.
First Deposit
The First Deposit Replacement UDP was published in June 2001. The consultation stage lasted for six weeks from 27th June 2001. This provided the first opportunity for formal representations on the UDP. Around 10,000 representations were submitted during the six week consultation. A summary of the representations received was published in December 2001 and can be viewed in the main Council libraries (Bradford Central Library, Shipley, Bingley, Keighley and Ilkley) and the Council's Planning Offices (at Britannia House, Bradford, Ilkley Town Hall, Keighley Information Centre in the Town Hall and Shipley Town Hall).
Revised Deposit
This involves a revised version of the Plan setting out changes arising, for example, from negotiations with objectors to the First Deposit and any new information or government policy since first deposit. The six week consultation period started on 9th July 2002, and ends on the 19th August 2002. It provides an opportunity to comment on the revisions and changes made to the First Deposit, but not on parts of the plan which have not been changed. Copies of the Revised Deposit Replacement UDP can be viewed in the all Council's libraries (in addition to the main libraries) and planning offices as detailed above, under First Deposit. Relevant documentation for revised deposit, including a comment form can be downloaded from this website.
The Revised Deposit Replacement UDP includes all the changes the Council has made to the First Deposit. For a full understanding of any changes to the Proposals Map, the Revised Deposit should be read in conjunction with the First Deposit Proposals Map. The Revised Deposit UDP also includes a Schedule of Changes, which explains the reasons for the amendments to the Plan.
Public Inquiry
The Inquiry took place between 7th January 2003 and 25th September 2003.
The team of Inspectors was as follows:
Mr C. Hughes BA (Hons) MA DMS MRTPI
Miss B. Whitbread Dip TRP MSoc Sci MRTPI
Mr P. Asquith MA MRTPI
Mr J. Gillis BA (Hons) MRTPI
Any objections from First Deposit or Revised Deposit consultations which cannot be resolved by negotiation are then dealt with at a Public Inquiry presided over by an independent Government Inspector.
The Council will then await the report of the Inspector into the objections. This report contains recommendations about each issue in the Plan, to which objections have been made. The Council must then decide whether to accept each recommendation made in the report. Failure to accept a recommendation could lead to a legal challenge.
Modifications
The Plan is then modified to reflect the Inspector's recommendations and the public is consulted on the modifications.
Adoption
The Replacement Unitary Development Plan (RUDP) was adopted by the Council on 15th October 2005.
RUDP Saved Policies: October 2008
Under Government legislation relating to the transition between the old UDP system and the new LDF system, the RUDP policies were 'saved' for 3 years. The Council has received a Direction from the Secretary of State which now saves the vast majority of RUDP policies beyond this 3 year period. The direction letter and schedule below indicates which RUDP policies are still saved and therefore still form part of the statutory Development Plan for Bradford. Please note that 16 policies have been deleted from the plan, these are listed in the document below.
The Council received legal advice in November 2011 to the effect that with the lapsing of RUDP Policies H1 and H2 any unimplemented housing site is no longer allocated as part of the saved statutory development plan. This was never the intention of the approach to saving policies, as approved by Executive in April 2008 or that of the Secretary of State in their Direction issued in September 2008. To this end Executive on 21 November 2011 resolved to clarify the status of these sites, in particular the need to give significant weight to any such unimplemented sites based upon the work undertaken in their original allocation as part of the RUDP.