Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Structure Plan 1996-2011
(Adopted May 2001)

This page contains links to the Structure Plan, Supplementary Policy Guidance to the Structure Plan, a Structure Plan Monitoring Report and describes the history leading up to the adoption of the Structure Plan.

Structure Plan - 'saved policies'

We have now received a 'direction letter' from the Government c/o the Government Office for the West Midlands to confirm the 'saved policies' in our adopted Structure Plan with effect from 28 September 2007. For more information click here.

This is a picture of the front cover of the Structure Plan

PDF Download Icon Structure Plan - 'saved policies' version
(1.4 megabyte file size)

PDF Download Icon Structure Plan - Key Diagram

The original adopted plan is available at the end of the 'Plan History' section at the bottom of this page.

To discuss the Structure Plan please contact:

Staffordshire County Council
Tony Lovett (01785 277363), Hugh Lufton (01785 277369), or Paul Rigby (01785 854089)

Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Brian Davies (01782 235706)

To obtain a copy of the Structure Plan and Key Diagram, write, enclosing a cheque for £6.70 per copy (incl. postage), made payable to "Staffordshire County Council" to:

Tony Lovett
Strategic Land Use Planning Policy
Development Services Directorate
Staffordshire County Council
Riverway Stafford
ST16 3TJ

Structure Plan - Supplementary Planning Guidance

Planning for Landscape Change

Planning for Landscape Change image

To find out about Staffordshire's landscape character assessment visit the landscape and landscape character types pages. This guidance document is saved and therefore remains a material consideration as a consequence of saving Structure Plan Policy NC2.

Planning for Heavy Commercial Vehicles associated with mineral or waste developments

PDF Download Icon How to assess the impact of Heavy Commercial Vehicles generated by mineral and waste developments

The 'Code of Practice' was approved by the Executive on 13 March 2002. HCV Code of Practice image

To discuss the Code of Practice contact Steve Clarke, Group Manager (Highways Development Control and Land Charges) - telephone 01785 276640.

To obtain a copy of the Code of Practice, write, enclosing a cheque for £10 per copy (incl. postage), made payable to "Staffordshire County Council" to:

Tim Billings
Planning Information Team Leader
Development and Waste Management Unit
Development Services Directorate
Staffordshire County Council
Riverway Stafford
ST16 3TJ

Tel. 01785 277278

You may also wish to consider Staffordshire County Council's guidance on preparing transport assessments and travel plans prepared by the Sustainable Transport - Development Control Group.

Transport Assessments and Travel Plans for Private Development Proposals

Planning for Affordable Housing

The Affordable Housing SPG elaborates on the policies of the Structure Plan. In particular the SPG provides guidance on the proportion of dwellings to be completed in the plan period 1996-2011 that should fall within the definition of affordable.

Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance

For further details please contact the Research Unit.

Structure Plan Monitoring

Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council were committed to undertaking regular monitoring of the Structure Plan policies and proposals for the following reasons:

In order to assess the validity of the strategy and objectives underpinning the Plan
To determine the degree to which policies and proposals are being achieved; and,
To identify any new issues which may impact upon the continued relevance of the Plan.

Structure Plan Monitoring Report 2002 (Published June 2003)
This is the first comprehensive monitoring report produced since the adoption of the Structure Plan in May 2001. The report provides an assessment of the performance of Structure Plan policies to date using the latest information available. The report considers County and City strategic development policies which relate to the economy, housing, transportation, natural and cultural assets, town centres, recreation, leisure and tourism and mineral and waste developments.

The Monitoring Report is a large pdf file (77 pages) and may be slow to download. Alternatively click on the parts of the document listed below the Report. The Technical Appendices are separate documents.

To discuss the report contact Tony Lovett (tel. 01785 277363).

Plan History

The current Structure Plan replaces the Staffordshire Structure Plan 1986 - 2001, which was adopted in 1991.

The replacement plan covers the administrative area of Stoke-on-Trent and the whole of Staffordshire County with the exception of the north-eastern part of Staffordshire Moorlands district which lies within the Peak District National Park.

Consultation Draft Plan
As a first stage in the production of the replacement Structure Plan, the Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council published a Draft Plan for public consultation in October 1997.

Deposit Draft Plan
Following the analysis of the consultation responses, and in the light of revised Regional Planning Guidance published in April 1998, a Deposit Plan was published in October 1998 and placed on public deposit for a period six weeks beginning in January 1999.

Over 3,500 representations were made on the content of the Deposit Plan from 1,863 individuals, groups and organisations including a significant number of objections to key housing, employment and transport policies and the overall development strategy.

Examination in Public
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) appointed an independent Panel to conduct the Examination in Public (EiP) of the Deposit Plan in October 1999. The EiP took place over a period of two and a half weeks and examined 21 broad subject issues involving over 160 invited participants including representatives of interest groups and developers, local councillors, academics, government agencies and members of the public. The EiP Panel reported recommendations to the County and City Councils at the end of 1999 and the Panel Report was approved for release on the 20th January 2000.

Proposed Modifications
Following consideration of all representations made to the Deposit Plan and in response to the recommendations of the EiP Panel a set of modifications to policies and proposals together with a modified Explanatory Memorandum were recommended to Council at the County and the City.

The Council approved the Proposed Modifications on the 27th July 2000 and these were placed on public deposit for a period of six weeks ending October 2000. Almost 700 representations were received from 375 respondents on a range of policies and proposals.

Adoption
It was not considered that any of the objections made to the modifications warranted further substantial changes to the policies of the Plan or to the overall strategy. None of the representations raised substantive new information or issues that had not already been addressed at the previous deposit stages and at the Examination in Public. A number of further minor modifications to the Explanatory Memorandum were approved by the Councils in response to objections to aid clarity, correct typographical errors and update information on particular matters.

On the 22nd of February 2001 and the 15th of March 2001, the Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council respectively resolved to adopt the Structure Plan.

Legal Challenge
Following the decisions of the Staffordshire County Council and Stoke-on-Trent City Council in February 2001 to give notice of the Councils' intention to adopt the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Structure Plan, South Staffordshire District Council exercised the right of statutory challenge under Section 287 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

The basis of the legal challenge was against the County Council's decision not to accept the recommendation of the Panel, following the Examination in Public, to delete reference to Essington from the housing policy H1 in relation to the provision for South Staffordshire District. The District Council amongst other claims contended that the County and City Council had failed to give adequate reasons for the inclusion of the reference to Essington in policy H1.

The High Court challenge was heard on the 4th and 5th February 2002. In giving judgement Mr Justice Collins upheld the District Council's contention and ordered that the reference to "Essington" be removed from policy H1 of the Structure Plan.

The County and City Council did not appeal against the ruling of the Court.

If required a copy of the judgement can be obtained from the Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand, London.

The adopted replacement plan was finally printed and distributed, and made available for purchase in July 2002.

Prior to the saved policies which took effect on 28 September 2007, the adopted Structure Plan was as follows:

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Structure Plan 1996-2011(Adopted May 2001)