LDF evidence base - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

Amanda We are in the process of putting together a budget of costs for our LDF programme including commissioning various studies as part of the evidence base. Obviously, the costs of these studies depend upon the size and make-up of the LPA area. Calderdale has a population of around 200,000 and is made up of one sub-regional centre (Halifax) and a number of town centres and smaller local centres. Following discussions with Wakefield MDC and Bradford MDC it is anticipated that the total cost of a Retail Needs study would be around £60,000. Bhupinder Dev, Senior Planning Officer at Bradford MBC has done some research into the budget for a study of this nature through telephone conversations with planning consultants and also other LPAs. He was consistently getting the message that the budget is usually in the region of £60,000. If you would like further discussions on the costs of the other various documents you should contact my colleagues John Houston and Matthew Good who have been putting this information together. Contact the Planning Policy Team on (01422) 392206 to discuss.

Thanks for this Matthew. Do you intend that any Retail Needs study that you do would be done jointly with any other LPA? Epping Forest is to the south of Harlow, one of the Govt's growth points, and it is therefore likely there will be a joint working element to many of our studies which will have to be factored in. Amanda

The study will be undertaken as an individual authority for the pupose of budget requirements. However, it is anticipated that there would be an large element of G.I.S information sharing with Bradford MBC as they are running a similar study at the same time. It makes sense for some-joint working to allow consultants to produce a more accurate picture of potential leakages over administrative borders.

Amanda, I have just finished a business case and feasibility study for the LDF here at my Council, if you want a copy send me an email, it has all our costs etc - anne.shorland@e-lindsey.gov.uk

Hull probably doesn't share many (any?!) characteristics with Epping Forest, but I can give you some idea of costs as we are fairly heavily reliant on external support at present. Our HMA is costing us £50k. I am hoping to get a (cash) contribution from our housing market renewal pathfinder and the housing strategy team. They contributed to the wording of the brief. It's maybe worth asking any of your RSLs, if you are reliant on them for affordable/social housing, if they will contribute. We have contributed £5k towards a gypsy and traveller survey (total cost £15k) led by our equalities team. Our HMR colleagues have also caried out a number of housing sub- market studies (the rental sector, students/migrant workers) which will feed into our HMA too, but we have not contributed towards those costs. We are about to tender for an employment land review. We have done our own land availability element (trend based) but we want some help with market intellgence/future forecasting/constraints. We have budgeted £30k for that. Our retail assessment only cost £8k last year as it was just an update from a 2003 study.That cost about £45k. We have retained consultants for this work. Our SRFA contract started in May with a cost of £15k initially, looking primarily at fluvial flooding. However, with the pluvial floods we had at the end of June we have now had to extend that to try and create an integrated drainage strategy. The cost has doubled. An Appropriate Assessment for one AAP (required under the Birds Directive) will cost us £9k. A colleague has put a draft proposal together to get some support to pull varous data asources together to create a series of profiles which will act as our evidence base for the Core Staratgy and the main DPDs that will sit below that - a City Polices DPD and an Allocations DPD. We have to get internal approval for that yet. If it wasn't for PDG we wouldn't be able to do this! If you wish to see any of our briefs, let me know.

Thanks Craig - your info has been really helpful. Just the sort of thing I was looking for!

Dear Colleagues, PAS is developing support materials on a whole range of LDF topics, including Evidence Base. This is still work in progress, but we hope to pilot some guidance in the autumn, with a view to it being generally available on our website before Christmas 2007. Part of the brief is to look at indicative costs and how to mitigate these - including sharing data with adjoining Authorities. Please watch out fur further bulletins.