Site Specific ProposalsThe Examination of the Site Specific Proposals Draft Plan and Draft Policy for the Conversion & Re-use of Rural Buildings as Dwellings is now underway. Both Development Plan Documents include proposed amendments to the Proposals Map.
The Council submitted the relevant documents to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on 5 March 2010. PINS then contacted the Council confirming the appointment of Paul Dobsen as the independent Planning Inspector who is undertaking the Examination to conclude if the documents are 'sound' and acceptable for use.
The Examination Hearing sessions took place between 20 July and 5 August. The Inspector will now retire to consider all of the evidence put before him and prepare a report of his recommendations. It is anticipated that the report will be published in November/December.
Programme Officer
Hayley Cawthorne was appointed as Programme Officer for the examination. Her role was to co-ordinate and administrate the examination process. All queries relating to the pre-hearing meeting, examination hearing sessions, appearing at the examination, or general process should be directed to Hayley on 01263 516313 or hayley.cawthorne@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Purpose of the Examination
The Examination was held in order to assess the 'soundness' of a Development Plan Document and ensure that it fulfilled the statutory requirements during its preparation. It was the job of any person commenting on the documents to explain to the Inspector exactly why the document is or is not 'sound'. In order to judge the document, each comment submitted during the recent Public Consultations should have been related to one or more 'tests of soundness'. These tests are:
Is the document:
Representations made at previous stages were not considered by the Inspector during the Examination.
Pre-Hearing Meeting
The public pre-hearing meeting took place on Tuesday 8 June in the Council Chamber at the District Council offices in Cromer. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the timetable and agenda of the examination, the issues that will be considered and to outline the timetable for the hearing sessions. A document containing the Matters and Issues for Examination, and the Draft Examination Timetable was handed out at the meeting. The Inspector aimed to achieve the following:
The meeting, whilst generally dealing with the procedural matters of the examination, also provided an opportunity to consider what the main issues were, and therefore need to be debated at the hearing sessions.
The Hearings commenced on Tuesday July 20th 2010 and continued as follows:
The programme for the public hearing sessions can be found using the link below:
http://www.northnorfolk.org/ldf/default_2733.asp
Morning Sessions commenced at 10am. Afternoon sessions commenced at 2 pm.
The Inspector will consider all representations submitted during the advertised 6-week consultation periods. These were:
The vast majority of representations are normally considered as 'written representations', and did not need to be debated at an oral hearing. Some of the representations did need to be debated at a hearing session, and the Inspector prepared a programme for this to take place.
The Inspector will consider all evidence equally. Written representations will be treated with the same level of importance as the evidence which was discussed at the hearing sessions.
Attending the Examination
Any person who submitted representations seeking a change to the Site Specific Proposals Draft Plan, Schedule of Key Changes, or the Conversion & Re-use of Rural Buildings as Dwellings Draft Policy had the right to have their case considered at the hearings. The Inspector contacted those persons who requested to be heard. Anyone with a query about the hearing sessions should contact Hayley Cawthorne on 01263 516313 or hayley.cawthorne@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Examinations are part of a public process and the hearing sessions were therefore open to all public and media who wished to observe the proceedings.
Post-Examination
Following completion of the hearings, the Inspector will now prepare a binding report for submission to the District Council. The District Council is required to accept the changes recommended, subject to completing a fact check. The Inspectors report is expected to be completed in November/December.
Further Information
The Planning Inspectorate has produced a short guidance document aimed at members of the public wishing to participate in the examination of Development Plan Documents. The guide, and further information can be found by visiting the Planning Inspectorate website.

Examination Library
An evidence library was assembled as part of the examination process. This contains a variety of information sources which have informed the production of the Site Specific Proposals Draft Plan & Draft Policy for the Conversion & Re-use of Rural Buildings as Dwellings. Links have been provided where possible to enable users easy access to documents.