Site Allocations public examination 2016/17

Inspector's Report - April 2017

On Thursday 6 April 2017 we received the Planning Inspector’s final report on the Site Allocations Development Plan Document, following the public hearings process and subsequent Main Modification consultation. The Site Allocations was adopted at the Full Council meeting on 12 July 2017.

The examination

Expand all

The Inspector
Planning Inspector Louise Crosby (MA MRTPI) was appointed to undertake an independent examination into the soundness of our Site Allocations Plan.
The Inspector’s task was to consider the soundness of the submitted Plan, based on the criteria set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. The relevant soundness criteria are whether the Plan is:
1. Positively prepared (based on a strategy that seeks to meet objectively assessed development and infrastructure requirements, including unmet requirements from neighbouring authorities where it is reasonable to do so and consistent with achieving sustainable development);
2. Justified (the most appropriate strategy when considered against the reasonable alternatives, based on proportionate evidence);
3. Effective (the plan should be deliverable over its period and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic priorities); and
4. Consistent with national policy (the plan should enable the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the Framework).
The Inspector has taken into account the representations submitted at both Pre Submission and Focused Change stages as far as they relate to soundness considerations. A number of informal debates have taken place on the principal matters identified by the Inspector - these were called hearing sessions.
Following the closure of the Examination, the Inspector prepared a report with precise recommendations, which included modifications to the Plan.
Guidance notes were prepared by the Inspector to help people understand the process and are available below.
Site Allocations Examination guidance notes (PDF 86KB)
The Programme Officer

The Programme Officer, Ian Kemp, acted as the contact for any person who made representations at the submission stage, and acted as a liaison between the Inspector, ourselves and representatives.

He was an independent officer of the examination and worked on behalf of the Inspector to organise and manage the administrative and procedural matters of the examination process. All statements were submitted through him.
Hearing sessions

Hearing sessions were held between Tuesday 4 October and Thursday 13 October 2016 at the Civic Centre, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1HH.
A programme for the hearing sessions, together with details of the matters discussed, are set out in the following documents:
Hearing Dacorum Borough Council opening statement - RA Jameson (PDF 829KB)
Hearings Programme (PDF 70KB)
Matters, Issues and Questions (PDF 80KB)
Matters, Issues and Questions addendum - Matter 2 Green Belt (PDF 22KB)
Inspector's Agenda Day 1 - Matters 1 and 2 (PDF 63KB)
Inspector's Agenda Day 2 - Matter 4 (PDF 53KB)
Inspector's Agenda Day 3 - AM - Matter 3 (PDF 59KB)
Inspector's Agenda Day 3 - PM - Matter 5 (PDF 46KB)
Inspector's Agenda Day 4 - AM - Matter 6 (PDF 47KB)
Inspector's Agenda Day 5 - AM - Matters 7 and 8 (PDF 43KB)
Inspector's Agenda Day 5 - PM - Matter 9 (PDF 43KB)
Inspector's Agenda Day 6 - AM - Matter 11 (PDF 44KB)
Inspector's Agenda Day 6 - PM - Matters 12, 13 and 15 (PDF 45KB)
Inspector's Agenda Day 7 - Matters 10 and 14 (PDF 42KB)

Written statements

In response to the Inspector’s Matters, Issues and Questions the following written statements were received:

Expand all

Evidence base documents

In preparing the Plan, we both refer to, and were informed by, a number of documents that together form the evidence base for the Examination. For more information, please visit our Examination library.

Page Last Updated: Tuesday, 28 July 2020 at 10:38 AM

In this section

Site Allocations Examination Library

Provide feedback on this page.

Use the fields in this section to rate how useful you found this page to be.

Was this page helpful?

Rate this page

Your comments

Contact details (if you require a response, please include your email address)