The Government’s planning inspectorate will publicly examine Bassetlaw District Council’s draft housing plan setting out where 12,551 homes could be built.
Bassetlaw’s Local Plan has reached a significant milestone and will be independently examined over the course of a three-week process.
The Draft Bassetlaw Local Plan: Publication Version 2020-2038, outlines the vision, objectives and planning policies needed to guide development across Bassetlaw up to the year 2038. It proposes the level of housing needed, where development for employment should take place, the infrastructure that is needed to support growth and many more economic, social and environmental priorities.
Since the Council submitted its Local Plan to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in July this year, the Planning Inspectorate has appointed two Inspectors to carry out a detailed, independent review of the Plan, the supporting evidence and comments previously submitted by the public and interested parties.
The examination programme will now assess whether the Plan has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and if it is sound. Subject to the outcome of the examination, Bassetlaw’s Local Plan could be adopted in 2023.
As part of this process, the Inspectors will chair a programme of hearings, which will take place at Worksop and Retford Town Halls on selected dates between Tuesday 29th November and Tuesday 13th December, with a number of reserve sessions also in place.
The hearings allow the public to observe the proceedings and give interested parties a chance to speak about the policies contained within the Plan. However, only those who have previously made comments on the Plan and indicated that they wished to speak have been invited by the Inspectors to be part of the discussion.
David Armiger, Chief Executive of Bassetlaw District Council, said:
“The examination process and, in particular, the public hearings are an opportunity for the Planning Inspectors to hear all sides of the debate and take an independent view on the policies contained within the Bassetlaw Local Plan and the Council’s overarching vision for the future of the district.
“All Councils are required to have an up to date Local Plan by December 2023 and this is one of the final parts of the process that will allow us to meet that deadline and ensure that we can manage development and growth appropriately in our district.
“The Planning Inspectors’ leadership of these hearings guarantee a comprehensive and unbiased examination process. The public are able to attend any of the sessions and can confirm their attendance in advance by contacting the Programme Officer. However, they are not able to participate in the discussions unless they have been invited to do so.”
The Bassetlaw Local Plan has been developed over the course of the last six years and, during this time, has undergone eight rounds of public consultation where the comments from residents, developers, businesses and other stakeholders have all helped to shape the submitted Local Plan.
If the Planning Inspectors consider that any changes need to be made to the Plan, the Council will consult members of the public and other organisations on those changes in summer 2023.
A Programme Officer has been appointed to administer the examination stage. To ensure the independent nature of the process, they will also act as a liaison between the Inspectors, the Council and any other parties taking part in the Examination.
Our website provides more details about the Programme Officer, to register to attend any of the sessions and to learn more about the examination process, the independent Planning Inspectors, the full programme of hearing sessions and view all of the documents contained within the Bassetlaw Local Plan 2020-2038 Examination Library
