Staff and resources

4.1 London Borough of Bexley’s Strategic Planning Division take the lead on producing development planning documents (e.g. the local plan), the majority of planning guidance, and most evidence base studies that support the review of the current local plan and the preparation of a new local plan.

4.2 The Division will be supported by other teams within the Housing and Strategic Planning Department and the wider Council. When needed, specialist external consultants may be used, especially for technical background evidence base studies.

4.3 The timetable for the review and preparation of local plan production is dependent upon necessary resources being available as and when required.

Governance

4.4 The timeframe necessary to comply with London Borough of Bexley’s process for decision-making, including special committee meetings where necessary, has been factored into the timetable set out for the review of a current local plan and the preparation of a new local plan.

Risk assessment

4.5 The main risk associated with the LDS programme would be a deviation from the timetable, which could delay the adoption of planning documents. In this respect, the following potential risks are likely to have an impact on the local plan’s programme timetable:

• continuity of funding and staffing in light of constraints on the Council’s resources
• unplanned and unforeseen work arising, which requires prompt attention from limited staff resources
• significant issues arising through the Duty to Cooperate – unresolved strategic matters raised by other local authorities and relevant statutory bodies that may impact on the plan’s delivery, resulting in a potential need to revisit proposals
• additional unforeseen requirements to support the plan process (such as the preparation of new evidence base documents and further statutory consultation) which may necessitate the need for specialist information and expertise unavailable in-house, requiring engagement of specialist external input at a time when resources are very constrained
• time required for consideration and decision-making within the Council, with stakeholders and the public generally, particularly where there is considerable interest in policy areas
• events such as local, London mayoral and national elections
• changes to national or regional planning policy and planning practice guidance
• Planning Inspectorate resources and timetabling; and,
• legal or other challenges, such as intervention by the Secretary of State or judicial review

4.6 The Council will closely monitor progress on the work programme and seek to manage these risks in order to adhere to the timetable set out in this LDS.

Monitoring and review

4.7 The LDS will be subject to annual monitoring, through the AMR, to ensure that the timetables contained within it are being met. Subject to changes proposed through planning reforms, the local plan timetable will be required to be revised at set milestones and regular intervals. As a fallback, this would be at least every six months. Where the review indicates otherwise, the Strategic Planning Division will determine the actions necessary to bring the document back into line with the published programme. If a significant variance cannot be overcome, the LDS will need to be revised accordingly to ensure it remains up to date.