A LOCAL plan will be scrutinised by council executives after modifications were made to it in the last four months.

Burnley Council’s executive is being asked to recommend to full council that it adopts a modified version of the borough’s new local plan.

The local plan sets out policies to guide the amount, location and quality of development and to protect the borough’s environment and heritage.

The main changes changes include lowering the amount of employment land required in the borough from 90 hectares to at least 66 hectares, which is thought to better align the housing and employment growth targets.

As a result of the modification to reduce the amount of employment land required, the final plan removes two sites that were proposed in the draft plan: Shuttleworth Mead South and the Burnley Bridge extension.

The proposed gypsy and traveller site at Oswald Street, Burnley, which had previously sparked controversy, has been removed from the plan. Instead, the council will, in due course, develop alternative proposals for a gypsy and traveller site(s) in a separate planning document.

Finally the council’s proposals for specific quality standards for developments on green field sites generally have been taken out.

The decision behind the changes comes after the plan was subject to examination by a planning inspector appointed by a senior Government minister.

In a number of public hearings in November and December 2017, the inspector considered in detail the council’s submission local plan, and listened to the concerns of neighbourhood representatives, interest groups and developers amongst other, as well as considering many written representations.

The council’s executive will consider the final version of the plan at its meeting on July 19. Should the executive endorse the plan, the final decision on whether to adopt it will be taken at a meeting of the full council on July 31.