UDC LOCAL PLAN VERIFICATION STUDY: ACHIEVING OUR CARBON TARGETS

Uttlesford District Council invites consultancies to submit a proposal to work with the Council on a 'Verification Study' to test the degree to which the emerging and final version of the Local Plan policies and Spatial Strategy achieves its stated Vision and Objectives, in particular the Climate Change agenda, carbon emissions reduction and mitigation targets. The Council has commissioned several studies of direct relevance in order provide a sound evidence base on which to build the Spatial Strategy and Local Plan policies. Studies include the Sustainability Appraisal, Biodiversity, Water Cycle Management, Renewable Energy and Decarbonisation as well as the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP), transportation and Viability Appraisal. Consultants will work with these recommendations as well as the Council's local plan team in order to test the robustness of the emerging draft of the plan including its Spatial Strategy and Site Allocations.

Consultants will act as an impartial and critical friend, drawing on their experience of other local plans, garden communities and proposed new settlement master plans and planning policies as well as climate change strategies and action plans to benchmark and to strengthen our approach. All consultants are working to the Council's corporate objective to address climate change and this commission should evaluate the extent to which this is being achieved. The criterion of deliverability of the Local Plan proposals is critical, along with the Council's strategy of working with promoters to ensure achievability of the predicted growth over the Local Plan period to 2040. Consultants should identify opportunities and make recommendations to address any deficiencies or areas for strengthening through the local plan process, reflected in the policies, design guidance and options/proposed sites in the spatial strategy.

They may be required to defend this Verification Review at the Examination in Public as additional evidence to support the Local Plan.