Planning ...
Planning policy - Overview
Policies adopted in North Tyneside are formulated as part of a hierarchy of planning policy, each level of policy within this hierarchy must be in general conformity with the level above.
National Policy
The Government, through the Department for Communities and Local Government, produce both statutory planning policy (e.g directions, regulations) as well other principal planning policy documents (statements. strategies). The most common delivery of national policy is through Planning Policy Statements (PPS), Although some are still in effect under their previous guise Planning Policy Guidance (PPG).
Regional Policy
A significant level of planning policy is also formulated at the Regional level, through The North East Regional Assembly. The Assembly are responsible for a wide range of regional strategies including the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), which sets out a spatial vision for the development of the north east. The RSS is still at consultation stage, therefore the document currently in effect is ‘Regional Planning Guidance in the North East’ (RPG1), which was adopted in 2002. This document along with the North Tyneside Unitary Development Plan forms the Development Plan for the borough
More information on Regional policy ( provided by the Government Office for the North East.)
Local Policy: The Role of North Tyneside Planning Policy Section
The Planning policy section is responsible for the production of local planning policies that are used to assess the merits of development proposals, such policies will reflect local circumstance and will mirror the objectives of regional and national guidance. The section’s main function is the production of the statutory local development plan, which sets out the land use principles for the borough, any proposal should give first regard to the policies contained in this document, unless other material considerations carry weight.
The current local plan is the North Tyneside ‘Unitary Development Plan’, which was adopted in 2002. However, since the release of the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, a new policy framework, the ‘Local Development Framework’ (LDF), has become the focus of attention for the planning policy section. This new framework will eventually replace the unitary development plan, and it is hoped that the new system will offer a more pro-active approach to planning.
Further information on Unitary Development Plans (offered by The Department for Communities and Local Government.)
Further information on the Local Development Framework (offered by The Department for Communities and Local Government.)
The planning policy section also produces other specific policy documents, these documents often deal with single issues or individual sites, and can include Supplementary Planning Documents, Development Briefs and Character Statements. These documents should also be given due consideration in development proposals.
Where such additional documents have been produced they shall appear under the ‘Other Studies / policies’ section. If however the information you require is not available under this section please contact the planning policy team for further information.