THE St Helens Local Plan will be made available to the public in the New Year, it has been confirmed.

The next version of the much-delayed plan is the version the council want to see adopted, subject to approval by an independent planning inspector.

The plan is expected to be approved by St Helens Council’s cabinet in December, before going on to full council.

Following this, on a date not yet specified, an eight-week publication period will take place to allow the public to view the plan and submit representations to the council.

A council spokesman said: “If approved at cabinet in December, then by full council, the proposed submission version of the Local Plan will be subject to an eight-week publication period, during which residents and other stakeholders will be able to submit comments on the soundness of the plan.

“The publication period will not begin until early in the New Year, to allow all stakeholders to fully engage with the opportunity after the Christmas period.

“The publication period is not a consultation.

“The council’s role will be to facilitate the submission of all comments received, along with the Local Plan itself, for thorough consideration by a government Inspector, who will determine whether the plan is sound.”

A public consultation on the Local Plan was held over an eight-week period between December 2016 and January 2017.

The consultation sparked a public backlash after the council suggested releasing 1,187 hectares of land from the green belt.

After cementing his place as council leader, Cllr Derek Long said he intended to take a “brownfield first” approach as part of a balanced Local Plan.

The plan was due to be published in the summer, before being pushed back to the autumn.

Then in September the plan was delayed again due to “conflicting” government housing data.

The council has now received clarification on the data from government.

Cabinet will be asked to approve the next version of the Local Plan at its meeting on December 12.