Residents have a week left to have a say

People have just one more week to make sure they have seen the new Local Development Framework (LDF) documents and made their comments before the deadline on Friday 16th September.

Rotherham Council has held 20 consultation events across the borough, which it says have attracted 1,500 people.

The Draft Core Strategy, made up of the overall plan and the Sites and Policies Issues and Options - which suggests sites for housing, employment, retail provision and other uses - are available to view online and at libraries and customer service centres across the borough.

Since the last LDF consultation in 2009 the documents have changed because of public reaction and changes in Government policy.

Rotherham is now proposing reductions to both its housing and employment land targets.

The annual housing target has been reduced by 27 per cent to 850 new homes a year - a new local target of 12,750 new homes across the borough to be built by 2027.

The employment land target has been reduced by 30 per cent, with around 230 hectares proposed for new economic development and a further five for new office floor space.

The amount of green belt to be released has been reduced by 60 per cent and a policy to protect the greenbelt and promote brownfield development is in the documents.

Karl Battersby, strategic director for environment and development services for Rotherham Council, urged people to make their views known.

He said: “I am keen to see that our plans for the borough are clearly debated so that we ensure the best results for Rotherham as a whole.”

“We all need to work together to create a Local Development Framework that matches the needs of people and businesses in the future.”

“And this is not the end of the process. We will be going back out next year to the public to discuss the individual sites in more detail.”

n You can have your say using the online consultation system at www.rotherham.gov.uk/forwardplanning.

You can also make comments in writing, to be received by 5pm on Friday 16th September, and send them to RMBC, Forward Planning, Planning and Regeneration Service, Bailey House, Rawmarsh Road, Rotherham, S60 1TD.

The documents are also available, during office hours, at Bailey House on Rawmarsh Road in Rotherham, and the Customer Service Centres at Walker Place in Rotherham, New Street in Dinnington and Braithwell Road in Maltby.