What is Regulation 19 event?

The OPDC Planning Team explained that this technical term refers to the Town and Country Planning Act (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 and Regulation 19 is the second stage of the consultation process when forming a Local Plan and it represents the proposed policies for an area.

This phase of the consultation process provides local communities, businesses and other interested stakeholders with the opportunity to comment on the policy content of a draft Local Plan, within a specific remit. The remit for public consultation relates to the ‘Tests of Soundness’ and also includes legal compliance, as set out in National Planning Policy Framework.

Once Regulation 19 is complete, an updated draft Local Plan is then submitted to the Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government. They will then appoint an independent Planning Inspector to undertake a ‘public examination’ of the draft Local Plan and is likely to make recommendations to further improve it.

During the examination process, the Secretary of State and the independent Planning Inspector will use the National Planning Policy Framework and comments submitted during the Regulation 19 consultation to determine whether a Local Plan is sound and legally compliant.

The revised draft Regulation 19 Local Plan for the Old Oak and Park Royal area has been considered by OPDC’s Planning Committee and will be reported at the next full Board meeting, taking place after the General Election in June 2017.

Once approved by the OPDC Board, the public consultation on Regulation 19 is expected to start at the end of June 2017.

Regulation 18 explored a number of different policy options, had ‘open’ questions and a wider remit for input during the consultation phase.

As the plan-making process continues, the number of policy options are refined and become more focussed. This reflects the purpose of Regulation 19 as a planning document with specific policy recommendations for an area, resulting in more formal and technical questions in the consultation process. These questions relate to the four Tests of Soundness and whether the draft Local Plan is compliant with relevant legislation.

Once the OPDC draft Local Plan is at the Regulation 19 stage it contains specific policies for the Old Oak and Park Royal area.

OPDC will be producing a response form that can be filled out either online, as a Word document or at one of our consultation drop-in sessions. This form will introduce and show how you can take part in the consultation and have your say on the draft Local Plan. To make sure you don’t miss your chance to take part in the consultation phase, sign up to receive the OPDC newsletter.

A good number of local residents and interested parties attended the ‘What is Regulation 19?’ event in April 2017. It was an engaging evening with good discussions and a number of questions:

How can we access the Supporting Studies?

As there are over 50 Supporting Studies, we will provide access to these in public libraries, as well as online, and have also written a Supporting Studies Summary document with the key findings.

How will residents from different boroughs access the social infrastructure provision?

To ensure that social infrastructure facilities such as, healthcare centres and schools, can be accessed by local residents, irrespective of the OPDC boundary area, joint working with the boroughs will be needed. Through this process we will explore the different options needed to create a permanent solution that will enable continued access.

How will OPDC deliver a good environment for both current and future residents in high density developments?

OPDC will use national guidance, the London Plan and the draft OPDC Local Plan policies to achieve this. The draft OPDC Local Plan provides further detail to the London Plan and is supported by a number of studies that have been carried out to inform our own approach to create a high quality environment.