| 1.1 Section 54A of the 1990 Planning Act requires that where a Development Plan (i.e. the Sandwell Unitary Development Plan) contains relevant policies, applications for planning permission shall be determined in accordance with the Plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Where development proposals are not in accordance with relevant policies in the Plan, they should not be granted planning permission unless material considerations justify doing so. 1.2 Therefore, where policies of the Plan are relevant, the Plan is the primary consideration and proposals must be in accordance with it, except where there are other planning considerations which demonstrably over-ride its provisions. The weight attached to any other planning considerations will depend upon the particular circumstances. 1.3 These other considerations should relate to the use or development of land, and may include new Government planning policy, e.g. new or revised PPGs and/or circulars and new Regional Planning Guidance. There may be occasions where there are local circumstances which justify departure from the Plan. However, these must clearly outweigh the provisions of the Plan. There should be no assumed precedence of one policy over another. All relevant policies will be considered when determining a proposal. 1.4 The current government has re-emphasized the importance of the Planning System being plan led. This means that every planning decision in an area is guided by the Development Plan, which in Sandwell is a Unitary Development Plan (UDP). The plan is a combination of strategic, borough wide policies and local policies and proposals. Thus the UDP is a major policy document which provides the framework for the physical development and structure of the Borough. The base date for the Unitary Development Plan is April 1998. This means that the statistics and land use information used in the Plan and shown on the Proposals Map were correct as at April 1998. However, where possible, the Plan includes updated data from March 2001 monitoring figures. 1.5 The time is right for the Sandwell UDP to be reviewed. The current plan which was adopted in 1995 has its origins in the early part of the 1990s. Since then there have been major developments in policy at all levels that provide the context for the UDP review. These range from the international and national level through to the regional, borough-wide and local levels. Of particular importance is that Central Government has reviewed its Sustainable Development Strategy for the United Kingdom (A Better Quality of Life published in May 1999). 1.6 The Planning System is seen by Central Government as having a major role to play in making the concept of sustainable development a reality. Whilst it is significant that the 1995 UDP recognises some of the sentiments of current thoughts on sustainable development, it needs to be more explicit in the policies and proposals of the plan. 1.7 In 1998 the Government published the White Paper on Transport (A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone, July 1998). The key message from Government is to ‘...extend choice in transport and secure mobility in a way that supports sustainable The so called Integrated Transport Policy means not only integration between different types of transport and between other policy areas but also there needs to be integration with the land use planning system and the environment. The new Local Transport Plan for the West Midlands Metropolitan Area will need to be closely related to the UDPs currently being reviewed by the seven Districts. 1.8 Other key aspects addressed in the Review include the projected growth in the number of households and the subsequent demand this creates for housing. This quite clearly has major links with the development of Housing Strategy. Several key issues are emerging, in particular concerns over the type and quality of the housing stock in the Borough. 1.9 In addition there is a shortage in the Borough of good quality, readily available industrial land as identified in the Regional Industrial Land Study, yet there is continuing pressure to reuse existing industrial land for housing and other purposes. The UDP will guide the debate on this issue through the development of appropriate policies and specific allocations. 1.10 The UDP will also link to other key initiatives such as issues relating to health and safety, in particular through the Crime and Disorder Act and the Borough being a Health Action Zone. The planning system has a potentially significant, albeit sometimes less obvious, role to play in the health and well-being of the local communities. This can range from health issues related to the impact of a particular development to the opportunities provided by safe cycle routes. In addition, the Crime and Disorder Act, 1998, places a joint legal responsibility on police and local authorities to develop strategies for the reduction of crime and disorder. This will be an important consideration in any development proposals. 1.11 It is essential that the UDP sets the appropriate land use framework for Sandwell in order to help develop future initiatives that will contribute to the regeneration of the Borough. This will be of particular importance to the various partners involved in the Borough including external organisations such as the Government Office for the West Midlands and the Regional Development Agency (Advantage West Sandwell’s Midlands). 
1.12 The general form and content of the UDP are set out in the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and the relevant regulations. The Plan should be in two parts. - Part I should consist of a written statement formulating the authority ’s policies in respect of the development and use of land.
- Part II shall consist of:
- A written statement formulating in such detail as the authority think appropriate their proposals for the development and use of land in their area;
- A map showing those proposals on a geographical basis;
- A reasoned justification of Part I and Part II;
- Such diagrams, illustrations or other descriptive or explanatory matter as the authority think appropriate or as may be prescribed.
1.13 The layout of the UDP thus follows this requirement in the following chapters. Insets are provided for certain areas which show local policies and proposals in more detail including a larger scale proposals map. Such areas are not shown on the main proposals map.
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