Rutland County Council has announced an extension to the final public consultation around Rutland's latest draft Local Plan.

The Local Plan sets out planning policies for the Rutland area, as well as listing sites for additional housing, employment and other development for the period 2018 to 2036.

This consultation, known as a Regulation 19 Consultation, gives residents, businesses and other stakeholders the opportunity to comment whether the Local Plan meets the 'Test of Soundness' – whether the Plan is sound and has been prepared in accordance with all necessary legal and procedural requirements.

Having launched the Regulation 19 Consultation in August, the Council's Cabinet Member for Planning, Interim Chief Executive and Strategic Director for Places have approved an extended deadline that will give residents an extra four weeks to submit their responses.

The revised closing date for the consultation is now Friday 6 November 2020.

The extension has been agreed after it was identified that two policies relating to the St Georges Garden Community proposal did not include the complete text agreed at Full Council on 10 February, in relation to heritage assets.

This opportunity has also been used to publish two addendums covering a number of minor corrections to the Local Plan text. These will be added to the suite of Local Plan documents that already are available to view online.

For residents without internet access, paper copies of the documents can also be viewed via appointment at the Council's offices in Oakham.

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Coun Gordon Brown, Cabinet Member for Planning, said: "There is no legal or technical requirement to extend the Regulation 19 consultation in light of these changes, as they could be captured and addressed at a later stage of public examination.

"However, in the interest of transparency, the decision has been taken to make the changes now, as part of the Regulation 19 consultation, and give residents longer to submit their responses."

Once the Regulation 19 consultation ends on Friday November 6, responses will be compiled with the Local Plan and its supporting documentation before being submitted for independent examination by the Planning Inspectorate.

If the Local Plan is found to be sound, it will be presented to Rutland County Council's Full Council for adoption.

For more information about the Local Plan, including details of how to take part in the Regulation 19 consultation, go to: www.rutland.gov.uk/localplanreview.