Statement of Community Involvement 2025 Consultation
4. Planning Policy Comment
4.1. Community involvement in the planning policy process should be:
- appropriate to the level of planning;
- undertaken from the outset;
- continuing;
- transparent and accessible;
- meet the timescales set out in the timetable for Local Plan preparation.
4.2. Alongside this continuing dialogue, specific participation activities will be delivered alongside the production of all Development Plan Documents. How and when the community and other interested parties will be invited to be involved during the production of these documents is explained below.
Development Plan Documents – New Local Plan Comment
4.3. Key milestones in preparing a Local Plan are:
- To formally announce the review of the existing Development Plan
- Consulting statutory bodies and neighbouring authorities on such matters as strategic issues and targeted discussion with other interested parties including Neighbourhood Forums on the scope of the plan and the evidence base and including the Sustainability Appraisal
- Further consultation with the wider public in addition to the above to allow for participation in the stages of preparation of the draft Local Plan
- After consideration of matters raised in consultation the Local Plan will be published inviting representations on the "soundness" and "legal compliance" of the Local Plan
- Submission of the published Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate with documents including a written statement, a key diagram, policy map, evidence base and sustainability appraisal together with other documents such as the SCI and all the representations received
- Responding to Inspector's initial comments and submitting any amendments (Main Modifications) by the council.
- At the direction of the Inspector and taking into account the SCI carrying out targeted consultation on Main Modifications
- Receipt and consideration of the Inspector's Report
- Adoption of the Local Plan
Stages of document preparation for a new Local Plan Comment
4.4. There will be community engagement at various stages of the plan making process after which the Local Plan will be subject to independent scrutiny through Examination by the Planning Inspectorate.
4.5. Production stage – early engagement with the statutory environmental bodies on the scope of the Sustainability Appraisal will provide a sound framework against which the social, economic, and environmental effects of the plan can be assessed.
4.6. This stage will also help us to understand community aspirations and concerns relating to the issues to be addressed by the Local Plan
4.7. During this stage evidence will be assembled to inform the production of the Local Plan. Evidence may be accompanied by Topic Papers explaining the relevance of the material to the plan.
4.8. There may be consultation events during this stage as the council progresses with the production of the draft plan – known as Regulation 18 consultation. The results of consultation will be taken into account in the preparation of the next iteration of the draft Plan.
4.9. Publication stage – the results of previous engagement, along with background evidence, information from Duty to Cooperate and, work with statutory consultees, will be used to produce the council's Local Plan and Policies Map.
4.10. The Regulation 19 Publication stage provides for a formal engagement period where people are encouraged to consider the Plan Policies being proposed by the council and to submit representations either in support or otherwise if they consider the plan falls short in specific ways – Legal Soundness or failure to achieve Soundness, as prescribed by Government regulations.
4.11. Representations on the Plan and Policies Map are then to be directed to the Planning Inspectorate. If there are any matters raised at Regulation 19 Stage where the council considers they can be addressed they will be recorded for further reference.
4.12. Submission stage – the Local Plan as published is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) who act on behalf of the Secretary of State to examine the Plan. The Local Plan written statement together with a Policies Map and all other relevant documents are sent to PINS in accordance with the regulations. Representations made at the publication stage are sent to PINS. This is known as Regulation 22 Submission. If satisfied the Planning Inspectorate will appoint a Planning Inspector or Inspectors to commence an Examination who will be assisted by an independent Programme Officer. The way the Examination will take place, including any Public Hearings and who is invited to speak, and any further public engagement are all matters for the Inspector and Programme Officer. A separate Examination Website will then be provided
4.13. All papers including the submitted Plan, evidence, representations, and correspondence will be published on the Examination Web pages. Any Main Modifications proposed to the Plan by the council to better meet objectors' concerns will be subject to targeted consultation to be conducted as the Inspector deems appropriate, often by reference to current good practice and the council's SCI. During the Examination, the Inspector may produce Preliminary Findings and direct where the council and other parties should address matters, including submitting further explanation and evidence and statements of common ground (factual information where agreement has been reached).
4.14. The Examination will be concluded with a Final Report which will include reference to whether the council has, possibly with further Main Modifications, achieved a legally compliant and sound Local Plan which the Inspector can commend to the council for legal adoption as the new Local Plan and Policies Map and the replacement of existing Local Development Plan Documents. The council will proceed based on the Inspector's Report to adopt the new Local Plan and Policies Map.
Supplementary Planning Documents Comment
4.15. Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) are not subject to external examination and therefore do not have full Development Plan status. However, their preparation still requires community involvement, and when adopted they will be material to decisions on planning applications.
Stages of SPD preparation Comment
4.16. Community involvement will take place at two distinct stages of preparation of Supplementary Planning Documents – the pre-production and production stages:
4.17. Pre-production stage – involvement of key interested parties and/or specialists, which may include, correspondence, focus groups or meetings.
4.18. Production stage – formal public participation which may include draft documents for comment, seminars, meetings with interested parties. Draft SPDs will be sent to relevant statutory consultees for comment at the start of the formal consultation stage.
4.19. A report on the consultation feedback will be provided, and information posted on the Local Plan area of the council's website.
4.20. Regulations currently require a minimum four weeks consultation for SPDs.
Toolkit Comment
4.21. Details about involvement methods can be found in the Toolkit in Section 8.
