Stevenage and North Herts Action Plan (SNAP)
The Stevenage and North Hertfordshire Action Plan (SNAP) was to be a joint plan with Stevenage Borough Council guiding the expansion of Stevenage to the north and west of the town, involving land in both Stevenage Borough and North Hertfordshire District. This was in order to implement the housing targets set by the East of England Plan.
On 27 May 2010, the new Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, announced that he intended to rapidly abolish the Regional Strategies, including the East of England Plan, which contained the housing targets for all English local authorities. He subsequently attempted to revoke all the Regional Strategies on 6 July 2010. In light of Mr Pickles’ letter of 27 May, North Hertfordshire suspended work on SNAP pending further clarity on how housing and growth targets would be derived (15 June 2010). North Hertfordshire District Council is now reassessing its housing targets with a view to a public consultation early in 2012 on this major question.
On 10 November 2010 it was held in the High Court (in a case brought by Cala Homes) that the Secretary of State did not have the power to revoke or abolish the Regional Strategies without new legislation going through Parliament and an assessment of the environmental consequences of that decision being made. Therefore, the East of England Plan targets at this time remained legally in force, but the Government then confirmed its intention to continue to proceed rapidly to abolish the Regional Strategies, and advised local authorities to take this fact into account as a material planning consideration.
There were two more High Court judgements involving Cala Homes and the Government in 2010 and 2011.
West of the A1(M)
Planning permission for 3,600 homes on land west of the A1(M) at Stevenage (in the SNAP area) was quashed on 21 June 2011 by a High Court judgement. This planning permission had been granted by the Secretary of State in December 2009.
In response to the quashing of the permission in the High Court, the Secretary of State, in September 2011, invited all interested parties to submit representations on a number of grounds including whether there are any new matters or changes in circumstances which the parties considered to be material to the Secretary of State’s further consideration of these planning applications. The Secretary of State has yet to decide if he will refuse the application, have a fresh planning obligation, or re-open the inquiry.
The reinstatement of the East of England Plan following the Cala Homes decision in November 2010 made little immediate difference, given the Government's restated commitment to abolishing the Regional Strategies as soon as possible, albeit now via the Localism Act, which was granted Royal Assent on 15 November 2011.
While the Government have still to announce when commencement of the Act will take place it is thought likely to be in April 2012. The position is being kept under review.
