Updated Statement of Community Involvement 2023
What is the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)?
1.1 It is a statutory requirement that the Council prepares a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI)[1]. The SCI formally sets out the policy and standards for engaging residents, local groups, stakeholders and statutory consultees in preparing development plans and how we will consult on planning applications.
1.2 The planning system affects everybody who lives, works in or visits the district. It balances competing land uses and sets out the vision for how communities will be enhanced. Local communities, businesses and other organisations can contribute to this process through engagement in the planning process and thereby help to shape their environment.
1.3 Warwick District Council's first Statement of Community Involvement was produced in July 2007 and updated in April 2014 as there had been a number of changes to the planning system. These were introduced through the Localism Act 2011 and the National Planning Policy Framework in March 2012. The Statement of Community Involvement was then revised in January 2016 as a result of legislative changes to the planning system which set out new requirements for local councils. The SCI was briefly updated in April 2020 in response to updated government regulations (April 2020) issued as a result of the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic. The Council is committed to reviewing and updating the SCI which involve removing the references to Covid-19 and reviewing and updating the recommended methods of consultation to reflect the current circumstances.
1.4 This review of our SCI takes account of those recent changes in legislation and policy and seeks to illustrate clearly how people can be involved in local policy and decision making. Planning legislation sets out a number of statutory requirements with respect to consultation on planning policy documents and planning applications. This SCI sets out how we will meet these requirements and involve everyone in all aspects of the planning system.
1.5 The Localism Act 2011 also sets out a 'duty to co-operate'. It is a requirement that we will engage with neighbouring local authorities and other statutory bodies to consider joint approaches to plan-making. We are committed to meeting this duty and are already working closely with neighbouring authorities, other partner organisations and stakeholders.
The Planning System
1.6 We are responsible for ensuring that the needs of Warwick District Council's current and future residents and business users, together with those who visit the area, are met. We need to do this through a sustainable approach to development that seeks to minimise the impact upon the environment.
1.7 The current system of producing Local Plans was set out by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and reforms set out in the Localism Act 2011 and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2012, (updated in July 2021). The suite of documents formerly known as the Local Development Framework and outlined in our previous SCI are now known as the Development Plan.
1.8 Development across the district is led by national and local policies. The Local Plan includes strategic and site-specific policies relating to issues such as housing, employment and other land allocations and outlines where new development is expected to take place. These local policies need to accord with those produced nationally.
1.9 To ensure that the needs of local people are met, community engagement gives an opportunity for those affected to be heard and their views considered.
Involving the Community
This SCI describes how and when Warwick District Council will involve local communities in:
- The preparation of the Local Plan and other planning policy documents and
- The determination of planning applications.
Warwick District Council's approach
1.10 When we consult you in preparing the Local Plan or on a planning application we will:
- Aim to make the process as simple as possible by writing in plain English and explaining any planning terms that are used.
- Explain when, where and how you can submit your views to us.
- Explain why we want to involve you and collect your comments.
- Ensure that the information you need is available on our website, at our offices and in local libraries/one stop shops.
- Provide feedback by summarising the responses received and showing how these have been considered during the next stage of the process. This 'Report of Public Consultation' will be published on our website. In this way, we hope to ensure that everyone will feel that they have the chance to be involved in the decision-making processes which form part of the planning system.
[1] Section 18 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (2004) as amended (2008).