Local Plan
Sefton’s Local Plan (sefton.gov.uk) was adopted in 2017. It shapes the future of the borough for years to come.
It sets out how new development will be managed up until 2030, and encourages sustainable development and economic growth, and seeks to provide current and future generations with more opportunities to live and work in Sefton.
There are several parts of the plan which are of particular relevance to the Sefton Coast Landscape Partnership. These are:
- Policy SD2 'Principles of sustainable development' - includes promoting economic growth and tourism, protecting and enhancing Sefton’s natural and heritage assets, responding to the challenge of climate change and working with partners.
- Policy ED5 ‘Tourism’ - Supports in principle sustainable tourism development elsewhere related to location-specific tourism assets.
- Policy NH1 ‘Natural assets’ - sets the strategic context and priorities for landscape character and natural assets, which include natural habitats and green infrastructure.
- Policy NH2 ‘Nature’ – protects designated sites, Priority Habitats and Priority and protected species from development likely to cause significant harm/likely significant effects.
- Policy NH3 ‘Development in the Nature Improvement Area’ – seeks habitat creation and/or management, and continuing functioning of the Nature Improvement
- NH4 ‘The Sefton Coast’ – helps protect the international nature sites on the Sefton Coast, water quality and the ability of coastal landforms (including sand dunes and salt marsh) to form a natural sea defence. Also sets out requirements for development in the Coastal Change Management Area. Supports in principle proposals to protect or enhance informal recreation, new coastal flood defences, flood risk management measures, and essential landfall facilities for offshore installations.
Land Use Planning
Land Use planning involves the management and modification of the natural environment into the built or managed environment.
Sefton Council, with the SCLP partners, are committed to exploring opportunities for joint working to develop the landscape of the borough. A number of projects have been identified, but the first in the pipeline is the sale of previous Sefton Council owned agricultural land near Lunt Village to the National Trust which was agreed in November 2023.
SCLP was asked by Sefton Coucil to take on the responsibility of monitoring and supporting this initiative. The National Trust chairs a Steering Group to develop a masterplan for this conglomerate of sites, together with adjacent land holdings managed by Lancashire Wildlife Trust, Forestry Commission, the Environment Agency and more. This will be consulted upon further publicly in due course, in addition to early communications date, to share a joint vision for the development of this land in the long term – to develop wetland, and woodland, a mosaic of habitats and overall greater benefits to nature and people than if partners had worked in isolation.