A STRATEGY to prepare for a legal challenge to the local plan is expected to be finalised ‘well ahead’ of it being adopted.

There was widespread public anger over the council’s local plan preferred development option, which proposed 24,000 new homes in the borough over the next 20 years, including 9,000 on the green belt.

The draft is due to be published in December.

The issue came before the audit and corporate governance committee on Tuesday.

The risk management and insurance report for 2017-18 was discussed by members.

It says: “The main risk for legal challenge is following the adoption of the local plan.

“This could still be two years away.

“Through the local plan board, it is proposed to develop a contingency plan well ahead of the adoption of the local plan.”

Committee member Cllr Steve Parish (LAB – Chapelford and Old Hall) highlighted the need to publicise why the authority needs to have a local plan in place.

He said: “It doesn’t have to be a successful legal challenge, any legal challenge would be a risk.

“If we don’t have a local plan, developers might get a free hand to do what they want.

“There is an element of pre-empting that somehow to make sure it is better known that we have to have a local plan and it does have to include a lot of housing, otherwise we are vulnerable to the Government saying ‘you haven’t got a local plan, developers can do what they want’.”