Publication Plan April 2024
4. Vision and strategic objectives
(15) 4.1 Based on the issues and challenges outlined in chapter 3, it is crucial that the Local Plan sets out a vision for the district to cover the plan period (2023-2041) and identifies clear objectives for aspects such as housing, infrastructure, economic growth and environmental protection. Collectively, the policies in the plan should help enable the strategic objectives to be achieved and to deliver the vision and strategic priorities for the district.
The vision - what will South Staffordshire be like in 2041?
South Staffordshire will strive to protect & enhance its distinctive rural character, communities, and landscape, whilst playing its part in addressing the climate emergency and creating beautiful and thriving new places in which people can live, work, and enjoy leisure activities.
Strategic objectives - to deliver the vision
(20) Table 6: Strategic Objectives
Development Strategy
Strategic Objective 1: Protect the Green Belt and Open Countryside, ensuring that where Green Belt release is proposed, mechanisms are in place to secure compensatory improvements to the environmental quality and accessibility of the remaining Green Belt.
Strategic Objective 2: Meet the housing and employment needs of the district whilst making a proportionate contribution towards the unmet needs of Greater Birmingham and Black Country Housing Market Area and wider Functional Economic Market Area. New housing will be focused on sustainable locations within the district, with a particular focus on the district's most sustainable Tier 1 settlements.
Homes and Communities
Delivering the right homes
Strategic Objective 3: Provide housing to meet the needs of different groups in the community, including a good range of market and affordable housing of varying sizes and housing that meets the needs of an ageing population and people with specialist housing needs, as well as the needs of people wishing to build their own home and members of the gypsy and traveller community.
Design and space standards
Strategic Objective 4: Develop a built environment that is of high-quality design, respects the character of our existing settlements, reflects local vernacular and creates beautiful and sustainable places where people want to live, work and enjoy leisure activities.
Promoting successful and sustainable communities
Strategic Objective 5: Encourage healthy communities through the provision of good access to health and education infrastructure, open space, sport and leisure and children's play and youth development facilities.
Economic Prosperity
Building a strong local economy
Strategic Objective 6: Develop an economic strategy that seeks to retain existing employment and fosters sustainable economic growth, encouraging inward investment and job creation in key sectors such as advanced manufacturing and providing the skills to enable residents to access these jobs.
Strategic Objective 7: Support the vitality of rural areas by enabling the sustainable growth and diversification of rural businesses, including supporting tourism and agriculture.
Community services, facilities and infrastructure
Strategic Objective 8: Protect and enhance sustainable village centres, retaining the existing retail offer and ensuring good access to community services and facilities.
Strategic Objective 9: Ensure that new development is served by appropriate infrastructure such as road improvements, health, recreation, and education facilities.
Strategic Objective 10: Support the development of sustainable transport networks including ensuring that where possible existing and new development is well served by various public transport modes and active travel options such as walking and cycling.
The Natural and Built Environmental
Protecting and enhancing the natural environment
Strategic Objective 11: Protect and enhance the district's natural environment including the district's landscape character and key natural assets such as the Cannock Chase Special Area of Conservation, whilst ensuring that biodiversity net gain is delivered across the district.
Climate Change and sustainable development
Strategic Objective 12: Ensure that our communities are resilient and adaptable to the effects of climate change. Deliver appropriate climate change mitigation through renewable energy generation and ensure that developments are designed and located in a way that delivers greater energy conservation and reduces carbon emissions.
Enhancing the Historic Environment
Strategic Objective 13: Enhance the built environment, conserving and enhancing the district's heritage assets including the district's canal network.
Relationship between strategic objectives and policies
4.2 The objectives take forward the planning vision for the district and set out in more detail what the Local Plan is seeking to do. Whilst the principle aim of the plan is to seek to achieve sustainable development, the above plan objectives set the framework for developing the policies in more detail. The plan's policies are the means of achieving the vision and objectives through the development management process. In relation to certain cross cutting issues such as climate change, there may be policies which work towards a number of the plan's objectives.
