Annual Monitoring Report (AMR)

As part of the new Development Plan system introduced by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act in September 2004 the Annual Monitoring Report must be prepared and submitted to the Secretary of State by the end of December each year. The AMR is part of the Government's 'plan, monitor and manage' approach to the planning system.

To view the document which covers progress from 1st April 2006 to 31st March 2007 please click here. (Opens the whole document that contains the Executive Summary and Appendices as well as the main document itself)

The requirement for local planning authorities to prepare Annual Monitoring Reports is contained in the following sources;

• The Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004
• Planning Policy Statement 12 - Local Development Frameworks (PPS12) (September 2004)
• Local Development Framework Monitoring: A Good Practice Guide (March 2005)
• Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) - FAQs and Emerging Best Practice 2004-05 (September 2005)
• Local Development Framework Core Output Indicators - Update 2/2008

Within the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 (September 2004) Regulation 48 - Annual Monitoring Report sets out the contents and procedure for preparing and making available the Annual Monitoring Report to the Secretary of State.

The production of the Annual Monitoring Report for Stafford Borough, commenced in 2005 and illustrates how the Council is performing against all relevant targets, set out its Development Plan Documents (DPDs) and the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS).

In terms of the new Local Development Framework (LDF), it is essential that the changes that are occurring within the Borough are monitored and evaluated. It is only through this linked process of monitoring and evaluation that it is possible to assess whether the Local Development Documents (LDDs) are effective, and if any changes are subsequently required.

The AMR will also review the progress of the LDDs compared with the targets and milestones set out in the Local Development Scheme (LDS). If the milestones and targets set out in the LDS are not met, the AMR will explain the reasons for this and what steps are to be taken to correct or improve the situation.