Wedge Evidence Base to allocate green wedges in their Local Plans. As such the green wedge designation has been examined by different Planning Inspectors through the examination in public process and allocated through this process. Appendix A of this Statement includes a map of the green wedges across Leicester and Leicestershire. The Green Wedge designation is contained within the following Adopted Development Plan documents:
Table 1: Table setting out the current 'adopted' planning policies relating to green wedges within Leicester and Leicestershire
| Local Authority | Development Plan Document (s) |
|---|
| Blaby | Core Strategy (2013) Policy CS16 Green Wedges
Delivery DPD (2019)
Policies Map (2019) |
|---|
| Charnwood | Charnwood Local Plan Core Strategy 2011 – 2028 (adopted 2015). Policy CS12 Green Infrastructure. Charnwood Local Plan 2021-2037 Pre-Submission Draft & Policies Map 1 (currently at Examination). Policy EV2 Green Wedges. |
|---|
| Harborough | Harborough Local Plan (2019) Policy GD7 Green Wedges
Adopted Policies Map (2019) |
|---|
| Hinckley and Bosworth | Core Strategy (2009) Policy 6 Hinckley/Barwell/Earl Shilton/Burbage Green Wedge, Policy 9 Rothley Brook
Meadow Green Wedge
Site Allocations and Development Management Policies DPD Policies Map (2016) |
|---|
| Leicester | Leicester City Core Strategy 2010-2026 (adopted 2014). Policy CS13. Green Network
City of Leicester Local Plan 1996-2016 – saved policies version (adopted 2006). Policy GE06. Protection of Green Wedges
Local Plan Proposals Map 2006 |
|---|
| Oadby and Wigston | Local Plan (2019) Policy 42 Green Wedges
Adopted Policies Map (2019) |
|---|
1.5 In November 2008 NWLDC published an initial review of the Green Wedge in the district. The review concluded that the Green Wedge designation could no longer be justified as it did not meet all of the assessment criteria. Further reviews of the Green Wedge were undertaken in 2009 and 2011 based on the Joint Methodologies. These reviews also concluded that the Green Wedge did not meet all of the criteria to justify its continued designation. A range of options were considered for the future of the Green Wedge as part preparing the Council's Local Plan. This resulted in the adopted Local Plan (2017) that part of the Green Wedge is now countryside, and two other parcels of Green Wedge are designated as Areas of Separation.
1.6 The NPPF was first introduced in 2012 and a green wedge consistency statement was prepared to demonstrate that green wedges are a useful local planning tool used within Leicestershire and that the designation was consistent with the NPPF (2012). Since then, there have been a number of revisions made to the NPPF, the latest of which was published in December 2023. It is therefore necessary to update the original Consistency Statement prepared by Leicestershire Authorities so that it reflects the latest NPPF 2023.
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