A plan which sets out the policies Peterborough City Council will use when determining planning applications has been stamped as 'sound' by the Government's Planning Inspectorate.

The Peterborough Planning Policies Development Plan Document (DPD), together with the inspector’s report will be considered by the city council's Cabinet on Monday 5 November 2012 before being debated by the full council on Wednesday 5 December 2012.

The report was prepared by Planning Inspector Roland Punshon at the request of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. His report makes a number of recommendations for modifications, all of which were suggested by council officers at the public examination stage.

The planning policies contained in the DPD cover issues such as the quality of new design, the impact of new development on people living nearby, the car parking standards that will be required for new developments, the amount of open space that will be required in new housing schemes and the protection of Peterborough’s heritage assets such as listed buildings and conservation areas.

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Councillor Peter Hiller, Cabinet Member for Housing, Neighbourhoods and Planning, said: "It is great news that the Planning Inspectorate has found our planning policies document to be sound. It is a further endorsement of the council’s planning policies, following the same grading for our Core Strategy, Site Allocations and Minerals and Waste DPDs.

"The policies set out in this document will help us to deliver the overarching principles established in the Peterborough Core Strategy, which sets out proposed housing, employment and infrastructure growth up to 2026. Peterborough will grow substantially in the next 15 years so it is vital that we have sound plans and policies in place to ensure that the city grows in the right way.

"This high-level approval for our planning policies document is thanks to the hard work of our award-winning planning service."

In his report the inspector recommended a number of modifications to ensure the plan was 'sound'. The inspector noted that each of these modifications was suggested by the council during the examination stage. He concluded that once these modifications have been made the plan will be 'sound'.

(CD/GK)