FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the UDP?
- What is the current status of the UDP?
- How many comments are there on the UDP, and what are they about?
- Can I see any representations?
- Would you like to read it now?
- How much does the UDP cost and where can I get one from?
- How can I be kept informed of progress?
- What is the timetable for preparing the UDP?
- Are there any other development plans in Warrington?
- Who should I contact for more information about the UDP?
- Can I arrange a meeting to discuss the Unitary Development Plan?
- When is the Environment and Regeneration Department open?
- Who should I contact if my query relates to a planning application?
What is the UDP ?
The Borough Council has a statutory responsibility to prepare a Unitary Development Plan (UDP). The UDP is concerned with all matters relating to the use and development of land throughout the Borough in the period up to 2016. It will establish green belt boundaries and include policies to protect the environment while making provision for necessary development. Its policies and proposals will guide decisions on planning applications made to the Council.
What is the current status of the UDP?
From the 4th November 2002 to the 16th December 2002, the Revised Deposit was available for consultation. The Council will now review all the comments. A public inquiry is expected to begin in December 2003.
How many comments are there on the UDP, and what are they about?
Almost 24,000 representations from almost 4,600 individuals and organisations have been received on our UDP. Almost half of those representations were objections. See the Overview of Representations for counts of representations by policy and a brief scope of comments made.
Can I see any representations?
We have prepared a summary of each objection (and some supporting comments) made so that you can get an idea of each comment made. By reading the summary, you may decide that you do not need to see the full representation. Click here to view representation summaries.
Any representation submitted to us can be viewed at our offices by appointment. We are currently scanning all representations. Once this scanning is complete, you will be able to view the full content of representations at our offices without having to make an appointment. In the meantime, we ask that you contact us to make an appointment.
We can also provide copies of representations on request, subject to any administrative &/or copying charges. Once we have completed the scanning of all representations, we may be able to provide services by email or on CD-Rom.
If you have any enquiries about the number or nature of representations received, then please contact us.
Would you like to read it now?
The revised deposit UDP is now online and available to view by visiting the Revised Deposit section.
How much does the UDP cost and where can I get one from?
A printed copy of the Revised Deposit UDP costs £45 including p&p. Alternatively the document can be viewed or downloaded in the Revised Deposit section.
To obtain a copy please contact the UDP team on 01925 442839.
How can I be kept informed of progress?
If you want to keep up to date with the UDP progress you can read our regular UDP newsletters or subscribe to the UDP mailing list (free). E-mail udp@warrington.gov.uk or write to the address above.
We also produce a range of UDP related information and supplementary planning guidance. This will be available in the related UDP information section in due course.
What is the timetable for preparing the UDP?
The UDP Timetable can be viewed on the UDP homepage.
Are there any other current development plans in Warrington?
Cheshire County Structure Plan
Because Warrington became a unitary authority prior to the adoption of Cheshire 2011, the Cheshire 2001 Replacement Structure Plan (Cheshire 2001), approved in 1992, still forms part of the approved development plan for the Borough. Certain of its policies are time-limited (e.g. those setting out the number of new dwellings and amount of employment land to be provided by April 2001) whilst others will endure until sufficient weight can be attached to the UDP. The UDP will, when adopted, supersede the Cheshire 2001 Structure Plan.
As a new unitary authority, the Borough Council has also taken account of strategic planning policies from the Deposit Draft Cheshire 2011 Replacement Structure Plan ("Cheshire2011"). This was published in December 1996 and the subject of an Examination in Public (EIP) in October 1997.The Report of the EIP Panel (January 1998) sets out the Panel ’s recommendations in respect of key issues arising from the Draft Structure Plan. Preparation of the UDP provides an appropriate opportunity for the Borough Council to respond to the Panel’s recommendations.
Cheshire Minerals & Waste Plans
When Warrington became a unitary authority it assumed responsibility for minerals and waste planning matters within the Borough, functions previously carried out by Cheshire County Council. These were adopted in 1987 and remain in force in Warrington until superceded by the UDP.
Local Plans in Warrington
The Deposit Draft version of the Warrington Borough Local Plan Local Plan was published in 1994.At that time, it gave the Council its first opportunity to address Borough-wide planning issues through the statutory planning system. Objections to the Plan were considered at a long-running public local inquiry in 1996/97. However, the Council became a unitary authority prior to receiving the Inspector ’s report in September 1998. As a consequence, work on the Local Plan was discontinued in June 1999.
The Local Plan had recognised that opportunities for further growth within the town of Warrington were limited. It therefore sought to safeguard land on the edges of the town and the Borough’s larger villages for longer-term development needs whilst, simultaneously, defining defensible green belt boundaries. When work on the Local Plan was discontinued, the definition of green belt boundaries, the related issue of Areas of Search and the safeguarding of routes for future highways schemes, were left to be resolved through the UDP process.
The UDP now addresses these issues within the context of sustainable development and the need to maximise the proportion of new development on brownfield land.
Although progress on the Local Plan was discontinued in 1999,many of its more detailed policies for guiding development control decisions in the Borough were incorporated into a ‘Consolidated Policy Schedule ’. This was informally adopted by the Borough Council and has been used successfully pending preparation of this First Deposit Draft UDP. Where these policies remain relevant, they have been incorporated into the UDP (with amendments where appropriate).
A number of other Local Plans and Town Maps are still operative in the Borough although, in practice, they are of limited relevance due to their age (see list below).They will be replaced by the UDP when it is adopted.
- Padgate and Penketh Town Map (with amendments) 1956
- Stockton Heath Town Map 1958
- Warrington Town Map (with amendments) 1959
- Rixton Brickworks Subject Plan 1980
- Town Centre Local Plan 1982
- Stretton Airfield Local Plan 1982
- Walton Park Subject Plan 1982
- Old Howley Local Plan 1984
- Orford South Local Plan 1984
- Whitecross/Arpley Meadows Local Plan 1986
It will also replace certain policies in the Merseyside and Greater Manchester Structure Plans (adopted in 1980 and 1986 respectively) and Green Belt Local Plans (1983 and 1984) insofar as they affect land transferred from those areas into Warrington following Local Government boundary reviews in 1993 and 1994.
The UDP will also supersede the Warrington New Town Outline Plan, approved in 1973 to guide the town ’s expansion during the New Town era.
Who should I contact for more information about the UDP?
Click here for contact details.
Can I arrange a meeting to discuss the Unitary Development Plan?
Yes, please use the contact details as listed above.
When is the Environment and Regeneration Department open?
The opening hours, Monday to Friday are 9am until 5pm.
Who should I contact if my query relates to a planning application?
Please contact the Development Control section on 01925 442819.
