ImageSite Specific Proposals

The Site Specific Proposals document identifies individual sites for specific uses to deliver objectives and policies in the Core Strategy. Sites have been identified for development based on a range of planning criteria.

Site Specific Proposals & Conversion & Re-use of Rural Buildings as Dwellings (Examination Stage)

The 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:

  • Legally Compliant - does it comply with the appropriate regulations?
  • Justified - was the document / policy produced on a robust and credible evidence base involving community consultation and factual research?
  • Effective - can the document /policy actually be delivered? Are there any barriers preventing aspects of the document from being achieved?
  • Consistent with National Policy - does the document accord with national guidance, aims and objectives?

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:

  • to indicate to those who wish to exercise their right to attend and be heard how their representations are to be dealt with at the examination;
  • to consider who else might need to be invited to the examination to assist the inspector in his consideration of the soundness of the plan;
  • to identify the issues which will need to be considered at the examination in order to determine the soundness of the plan;
  • to consider how those issues relate to one another and the most logical order for their examination;
  • to identify the nature of the evidence to be brought to the examination and to set the timetable for the submission of that evidence; and
  • to establish the programme for the examination.

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.

Examination Hearings

The Hearings commenced on Tuesday July 20th 2010 and continued as follows:

  • Week 1: Tuesday 20, Wednesday 21, Thursday 22 July
  • Week 2: Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28, Thursday 29 July
  • Week 3: Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4, Thursday 5 August

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.

Books
Books

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.