Introduction
	
When the Borough Council decided to prepare a replacement Local Plan it also became 
necessary to review all the Supplementary Planning Guidance which the Council had 
previously adopted.  In line with the guidance set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 
(PPGN) 12: Development Plans and Regional Planning Guidance, paragraphs 3.18 and 3.19, it 
was decided that, in order to achieve a wide consultation, the revision would run alongside 
the preparation of the Local Plan so the publicity exercises for both documents would 
coincide.  Consequently the first draft of the proposed Supplementary Planning Guidance was 
publicised alongside the Deposit Draft of the Local Plan.
	
A number of detailed responses were made to that consultation and as a result the text of 
the consultation the text of the guidance has been rewritten in a more advisory style.  
A number of detailed policies have been deleted from the guidance and these have been 
publicised as proposed changes to the deposit Local Plan.  The revised Supplementary 
Planning Guidance was made available for a further consultation period.  The outcome of this 
consultation was reported to the Planning Committee on 4 April 2002.  The Committee formally 
adopted the Supplementary Planning Guidance.  
	
A separate Annex to the Supplementary Planning Guidance contains details of consultations 
undertaken, representations received and letters of response.
	
The Oadby and Wigston Local Plan provides a clear and concise framework for all development 
control decisions.  The role of Supplementary Planning Guidance is subordinate to the Local 
Plan and the advice within it is intended to supplement and expand on the Local Plan policies.
The Borough Council makes use of a number of standards and codes of practice derived from 
Central Government, County Council and other publications in order to achieve a consistent 
approach to decision making but these tests have to be used flexibly because of the wide 
variation in site conditions and locations which can occur.  However the Borough Council 
will have regard to ongoing government and other research programs in order to ensure that 
the codes it uses are as up to date and relevant as possible.
	
It is not considered appropriate for these standards and codes to be included in the Local 
Plan because they can become out of date very rapidly and because they are too precisely 
defined to be used in such a prescriptive way.
			
M R Woods
Assistant Director (Planning)
Directorate of Consumer Services
30 April 2002  
GE / AS / P9