Draft Local Plan is unsound as it fails to address housing need over the Plan period by Failing to take a positive and aspirational approach to the housing requirement (paragraph 16(b) NPPF); Failing to make sufficient housing provision to allow for job growth; Failing to make adequate provision to allow a sufficient number of affordable homes to be delivered; Adopting an inappropriate ?stepped? approach to housing delivery; It fails to significantly boost the supply of housing (NPPF paragraph 60); and It fails to identify a sufficient supply and mix of housing sites (NPPF paragraph 68) as set out in the Litchfield's report on behalf of the consortium of developers.

In order to make the plan sound it will be necessary to allocate further land for housing and release further Green Belt land for development. Burtonwood is a sustainable settlement with a good range of facilities and services, capable of accommodating development (as evidenced in the March 2019 draft plan which allocated a site to the north of Burtonwood for development supported by full SEA of the plan).