Local Plan Updates – December 2019

Ashford –The Ashford Local Plan 2030 was adopted in February 2019.

Aylesbury Vale – AVDC has now provided the Inspector with provided with suggestions for Modifications to the Plan. Those modifications are now being subject to public consultation. The consultation will close at 5:15 pm on the 17th December.

Basildon – Local Plan examination has been paused while Basildon Council and Essex County Council consider the effects of DEFRA’s direction on air quality for the A127 on deliverability of the plan.

Bexley – Reg 18 consultation has now closed, and publication of the Draft Local Plan is planned for summer 2020.

Braintree – see North Essex Authorities (below)

Brentwood –Addendum of Focused Changes to the Pre-Submission Local Plan consultation is opened 15 October 2019 and ended on 26 November 2019, and the local plan is in the process of being finalised and submitted.

Bromley – The Local Plan for Bromley was adopted on 16 January 2019.

Broxbourne – A general election is scheduled to take place on 12 December 2019 and the Planning Inspectorate will not be issuing any letters regarding the soundness or legal compliance of local plans until after the election. The Council anticipates that the public consultation on the main modifications will start early in the new year 2020.

Cambridge and East Cambs – Following receipt of the Inspector’s modifications, East Cambridgeshire District Council voted to withdraw the emerging Local Plan at its February 2019 Council meeting.

Castle Point – Regulation 19 Local Plan is being reviewed by council officers and due to be reported by Autumn. If approved, consultations will start mid-December.

Central Beds – Further additional evidence on the duty to co-operate, landscape, heritage and transport and an update to the Sustainability Appraisal was submitted by the Council on 28th January 2019 at Inspector’s request. Hearing Sessions closed on 25 July 2019. Further information regarding the next stage of the examination process is expected to be published in due course.

Chelmsford – Consultation on Main Modifications closed on Monday 19 September 2019. The Council is awaiting the final Inspector’s report, which is expected imminently. Adoption of the plan is likely to take place before the end of 2019.

Cherwell – Consultation on the proposed modifications commenced at the end of September and beginning of October, with a view to formally submitting the modifications at the end of the year. Timeline for completion is uncertain as another Hearing may be required.

Chiltern and South Bucks – The Chiltern and South Bucks Local Plan 2036 was submitted for independent examination on 26 September 2019. Further information on hearing sessions is awaited.

Colchester – See North Essex Authorities (below).

Dacorum – Latest LDS, which was approved on 25 June 2019, sets out the Council’s programme for preparing development plan documents up to 2022 when it’s hoped that the new Local Plan will be adopted. Publication of the proposed submission plan for representations (Reg 19) is expected to take place in May 2020.

Dartford – Regulation 18 public consultation was held in June/ July 2018. Public involvement in the next stage in drafting the Local Plan is expected in late 2019.

Dover – The council will be in the evidence gathering stage until December 2019. Consultation on draft Local Plan (Regulation 18) is expected to take place between January and March 2020. Local Plan examinations are expected to take place in June 2021 with the adoption of the Local Plan in January 2022.

East Herts – East Herts’ District Plan was adopted at an Extraordinary Council on the 23 October 2018.

Elmbridge – The options consultation closed on 30 September 2019. The Consultation responses will be reviewed and considered as the council prepares the more detailed draft plan. The next Local Plan consultation is expected early 2020.

Epping Forest – Following the publication of Inspector’s interim findings, the council is preparing a timetable of further work and evidence required to address the plan’s soundness.

Epsom and Ewell – Final Issues & Options Consultation (Regulation 18 Part 2) is planned for October – December 2019.

Folkestone and Hythe – In accordance with the Inspector’s request following the Places and Policies Local Plan Examination held between 14 – 16 May 2019, the Council have published an update on their preferred site allocation for Gypsy & Traveller pitches. The Council has also published several documents for public consultation which ran for six weeks and ended at 5pm on Monday 14 October 2019. The responses have been forwarded to the Inspector for consideration. The Sustainability Appraisal Addendum Report consultation period began on 2 December 2019 and is open till 5pm on the 20 January 2020.

Gravesham – After reviewing responses received to Regulation 18 (Stage 1) Part 1 Site Allocations, the council is gathering further evidence and together with the consideration of responses received will prepare Regulation 18 Part 2 consultation documents which were consulted upon in Autumn 2019.

Guildford – Council decided to adopt the new Local Plan on 25 April 2019.

Harlow – Hearing sessions finished on Thursday 4 April 2019 and Council is expecting Inspector’s final report to be issued by the end of 2019. Progress has been made on the town centre Area Action Plan with further round of Regulation 19 (final pre-submission stage) consultations likely to take place before the end of 2019.

Havering –Council is working with the Inspector to finalise matters for the consultation on the Main Modifications which is currently scheduled to begin in January 2020.

Hertsmere – The council is undertaking targeted public and stakeholder engagement in preparing the plan (Reg 18). Issues and options consultations are expected in March 2020.

London Plan – A panel of inspectors have been appointed to review the plan and examination hearings concluded in May 2019. The inspectors’ report was published on 8 October 2019.

Maidstone – New Local Plan was formally adopted at Full Council on 25 October 2017. The Council is already preparing its review and its call for sites closed on Friday 24 May 2019. Consultation on a Scoping, Themes & Issues document (Reg.18) closed on Monday 30 September. Maidstone Borough Council has recently adopted its local plan (October 2017). As part of this process they have created an Affordable and Local Needs Housing Supplementary Planning Document (the SPD) which is now open for public consultation. The consultation opened on the 7th October 2019 and closed at 5pm on 18 November 2019.

Maldon – The Secretary of State Approved the Maldon District Local Development Plan on 21 July 2017. A review is to be completed by 2022.

Medway – The council has updated the timetable of the preparation of the Local Plan. This revision programmes the publication of the draft Plan for late 2019; submission of the draft Plan in autumn 2020 with an examination following later that year; and adoption in 2021.

Milton Keynes – Plan MK, the local plan setting out how Milton Keynes will grow until 2031, was approved for adoption by full council in March 2019.

Mole Valley – The Preferred Options consultation took place between 21 October and 1 December 2019. Prior to the publication of the consultation, all Council Members had the opportunity to agree the content of the draft Local Plan at an Extraordinary Council meeting on 15 October.

North Essex Authorities (Braintree, Colchester and Tendring) – North Essex Authorities submitted the new evidence to the Planning Inspector on 4 October 2019 and have been responding to various clarification questions from the Inspector. Examination hearings will reopen from 14 January 2020 for two weeks. Consultations on route options began on 4 November 2019.

North Hertfordshire – The hearing sessions timetable has been revised to include an additional 3 days from 23 January – 25 January inclusive for Session 21 Air Quality and the continuation of Matters 6 and 7. Additional reserve sessions have also been programmed for 19 – 22 March in case these are needed.

Oxford City – The Inspectors have asked several initial questions to which the council has responded. The Inspectors have indicated informally that public hearing sessions took place from 3^rd December to 19^th December 2019.

Reigate and Banstead – The Reigate and Banstead Development Management Plan (DMP) was formally adopted by the Council on 26 September 2019.

Rochford – Submission to Secretary of State for independent examination (Regulation 22) is planned for winter 2020.

Runnymede – The Council submitted the Plan to the Secretary of State on 31st July 2018, and hearing sessions took place in November 2018 and February 2019. The Inspector has requested the Council to provide an update on progress of the ongoing work on highways matters that remains to be completed before the examination can be concluded. It is anticipated that the Stage 3 hearing concerning the implications of the Plan for the Strategic Road Network and the A320 began on Thursday 14 November 2019 at 9.30am.

Sevenoaks – The Sevenoaks District Council Local Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination on Tuesday 30 April 2019. The Local Plan hearing have unexpectedly been cancelled and the Planning Inspector has sent a holding letter to the Council and will send a response after the pre-election period.

Southend-on-Sea – Issues and Options consultation closed on 2 April 2019, with preferred approach consultation estimated for Spring / Summer 2020. There is potentially a new garden settlement to the north of Southend, also part of Rochford.

South Essex Joint Strategic Plan (JSP) – this is a strategic statutory local plan prepared jointly by Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point, Rochford, Southend and Thurrock. Reg 18 issues consultation is expected to take place between January till February 2020. The current timetable is ambitious, with the full process through to adoption expected to take 2-3 years.

South Northamptonshire – Hearings took place between Tuesday 11 June and Friday 21 June. The Inspectors Post Hearing Letter was published on 17 July and full report is expected in late 2019.

South Oxfordshire – On 23 October 2019 senior council officers from South Oxfordshire District Council met officials from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in London to discuss the temporary direction relating to the council’s emerging Local Plan 2034. Following this meeting, the temporary direction remains in place, however discussions between the council and the government on this matter are continuing.

Spelthorne – Spelthorne Council’s Cabinet met on 25 September to discuss the next stage in producing a new Local Plan for the Borough.  The Preferred Options consultation will run from Tuesday 5 November 2019 to Tuesday 7 January 2020 and there will be three public events to provide further information to residents and other interested parties.

St Albans – Following submission of the Local Plan 2020-2036 in March 2019, Inspectors Louise Crosby MA MRTPI and Elaine Worthington BA (Hons) MTP MUED MRTPI have been appointed by the Secretary of State to carry out the independent Examination. Provisional hearing session dates have been set for w/c 20 January 2020 and w/c 3 February 2020.

Stevenage – The Stevenage Borough Local Plan 2011-2031 was adopted on 22 May 2019.

Surrey Heath – The Council is in the process of updating the timetable for the emerging Local Plan (Local Development Scheme). The next consultation on the emerging Local Plan will take place in winter 2020.

Swale – The Council plans to hold Reg. 18 consultation between Oct – Dec 2019.

Tandridge – On 7 November 2019 the Planning Inspectorate explained its approach to casework in the pre-election period. For Local Plan work, all scheduled local plan examinations and hearing sessions will continue during the pre-election period. However, in order to avoid making announcements that could be politically sensitive, the Planning Inspectorate will not be issuing any letters regarding the soundness or legal compliance of local plans, or final reports (including for fact check), until after the election.

Tendring – See North Essex Authorities (above).

Thanet – Hearings finished on 19th July 2019. The Inspectors’ letter is yet to be published. On Day 13 of the Hearings, under Matter 13, the Inspector asked the Council (with Kent County Council) to prepare a note to identify alternative highways measures that might be employed at the limited number of “pinch-points” along the route identified under Policy SP47.

Three Rivers –The latest Local Development Scheme came into effect on 22 October 2019.

Thurrock – Reg. 18 (Issues and Options Stage 2: Spatial Options and Sites) took place in July 2018. Reg. 19 was planned for September 2019 but has been delayed following the publication of the revised NPPF. The updated Local Development Scheme has not been published yet.

Tonbridge and Malling –  The consultation on the Council’s Regulation 19 version of the Local Plan concluded at 4pm on Monday 19th November 2018. The Council is conducting a post-submission consultation on certain examination documents until the 4pm on Monday 23^rd December.

Tunbridge Wells – A report on the Draft Local Plan and Sustainability Appraisal was taken to Cabinet on 15th August 2019.  Cabinet supported the recommendation that consultation be undertaken on these documents. The consultation ran from 20th September – 15th November 2019, in line with relevant legislation.

Uttlesford – The stage 1 hearings concluded on Thursday 18 July 2019. The Inspectors will now write to the Council with their initial findings and advice on the next steps in the examination. However, during the election period PINS will not be issuing any letters regarding the soundness or Legal Compliance of Local Plans and consequently the inspectors’ letter following the hearing sessions will not be available until after 12 December.

Vale of White Horse – The Planning Inspector issued his final report on Local Plan 2031 Part 2 (LPP2) to the Council on 25 June 2019. The Inspector’s report concludes that the Plan is ‘Sound’. The adoption (of the LPP2) was considered at a meeting with Full Council. Following the Full Council meeting on 9 October 2019, the majority of councillors supported Cabinet’s recommendation and adopted the LPP2.

Watford – The Council is consulted on the First Draft Watford Local Plan 2020-2036. The consultation ended on 8th November 2019. Public consultation for the Final Draft Local Plan is expected to take place in May 2020.

Waverley – In a judgment handed down on 31 October 2019, the Court of Appeal dismissed conjoined Local Plan challenges brought by POW Campaign Limited and CPRE Surrey to the adoption of Waverley Borough Council’s Local Plan.

Welwyn Hatfield – Due to the General Election the hearing sessions which were scheduled to take place on 10th, 11th and 12th December and been cancelled and will now take place on 16th, 17th and 18th December. The Inspector has however, warned the council that if its timetable continues to slip, they should consider the option of withdrawing the plan with a view to re-submitting it for Examination when the work is finally completed and there are no obvious soundness issues accompanying it.

Woking – The Council submitted the Site Allocations DPD and its supporting documents to the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on 31 July 2019. The Secretary of State has appointed an independent Inspector GJ Fort BA (Hons) PGDip LLM MCD MRTPI to conduct the examination.  The Inspector has indicated a provisional date for the Examination hearing sessions, which are in the weeks commencing 2 and 9 December 2019.

Wycombe – The Full Council considered the Inspector’s Report and adopted the Plan at special meeting on 19 August 2019.