A NEW planning blueprint for Test Valley moves a step closer to being adopted on 18 December when the Cabinet will consider the latest draft of the plan.

If approved by Cabinet, the plan will go before a meeting of full council on 8 January, before further public consultation.

Councillor Martin Hatley, planning and transport portfolio holder, said: “The Revised Local Plan is a crucial document for Test Valley as we plan up to 2029.

“It is vital that the agreed plan r e c o g n i s e s the development needs of the borough, if we are to continue to prosper and grow, while at the same time ensuring we maintain the beautiful environment in which we live and enjoy.

“I believe that the time we have invested in developing the Revised Local Plan, to ensure we take account of a wide range of issues and comments, will result in a thorough outcome.”

The latest draft has been amended to take account of updated evidence, response from the public consultation held in March and Government guidance and will be published as part of the Cabinet agenda.

If approved by Cabinet and council a final round of public consultation will start in late January for a period of six weeks.

The final document will be submitted to the Secretary of State later in 2014, followed by an examination in public held by the P l a n n i n g Inspectorate.

The Revised Local Plan is the new name for the Core Strategy.

The plan sets out proposals for the amount and location of residential, employment and retail developments over the next 18 years.

Meanwhile, in Wiltshire, where the Core Strategy had its examination in public during the summer, councillors have been dismayed to learn that the inspector’s verdict on the document is not now expected to be made public until February.