East Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2 - Examination | Development Plan documents | North Northamptonshire Council

East Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2 - Examination

Local Plan Examination 2021

The East Northamptonshire Local Plan completed consultation under Regulation 19 of the Town and County Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 on 19 March 2021. On 29 March 2021 it was submitted to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government for independent examination, in accordance with (Regulation 22).

The Planning Inspectorate have produced a Procedure Guide for Local Plan Examinations which provides detailed practical advice and a short guide aimed at those participating in a local plan examination for the first time.

Examination

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Main Modifications Consultation

The Council will be consulting on the proposed Main Modifications to the East Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2 and on proposed changes to the Policies Map from Friday 10th March 2023.

Following the Examination hearing sessions, a number of changes are proposed to the East Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2 – Pre-Submission Draft which are necessary to make the Plan sound. These are proposed without prejudice to the Inspector’s final conclusions which will take account of all the representations submitted in response to this consultation.

The changes are available to view in the schedules below:

This consultation is only about the Main Modifications and changes to the Policies Map. It is not an opportunity to make comments on other aspects of the plan or to reiterate previous representations, as these have already been considered as part of the Examination process.

Reviews of the Sustainability Appraisal and Habitat Regulations Assessments have been carried out to assess the proposed modifications to the Plan:

Representations are invited on the proposed Main Modifications, the proposed changes to the Policies Map and on the Sustainability Appraisal Report Addendum and Habitat Regulations Assessment Addendum as accompanying new evidence but not on any other aspect of the plan.

The consultation runs for six weeks from Friday 10th March 2023 to midnight on Friday 21st April 2023.

Representations can be made from Friday 10th March 2023 on the Council’s on-line consultation portal at:

https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/have-your-say/consultations

This is the Council’s preferred method for receiving responses. Alternatively representations can be made in writing and e-mailed to planningpolicy.enc@northnorthants.gov.uk or by post to North Northamptonshire Council, Planning Policy, East Northamptonshire House, Cedar Drive, Thrapston, Kettering NN14 4LZ.

Please make clear from the schedule references which proposed change(s) you are referring to.

All representations must be received by midnight on Friday 21st April 2023.

All representations received will be provided to the planning inspector and will be published on the website. For details of how we treat your data, please see our Privacy Notice: https://www.northnorthants.gov.uk/your-council/corporate-privacy-notice

In addition to the schedule of proposed Main Modifications and the schedule of proposed changes to the Policies Map, the Council has also prepared a schedule of Additional Modifications. The Additional Modifications are minor corrections and changes which do not materially affect the soundness of the plan. The Additional Modifications will not be considered by the Inspector and are provided for information purposes only.

Schedule of proposed Additional Modifications to the Publication Plan

The Council has prepared a track-changed version of the Plan, which illustrates how the proposed Main Modifications will be incorporated into the Plan. The track-changed version of the Plan has been published for reference purposes only to support the public consultation on the Main Modifications. Should there be any discrepancy between the tracked-change version of the plan and the MM Schedules, it is the latter which takes precedence.

The track-changed version of the Plan is available through the following link

Track-changed version Local Plan

Background Information

The Regulation 19 consultation version of the Local Plan Part 2 (February 2021)

is available here.

The Hearing Sessions concluded on Thursday 5th May 2022. The Programme details the sessions which took place and the participants. The Inspector has now submitted her Post Hearings Letter to the Council. The Council will now consider the content and will work towards completing a schedule of Main Modifications ahead of a consultation.

During the hearings a number of Action Points were discussed, the Council are now tasked with supplying the Inspector with the work requested who will then consider before deciding on the next steps for the Examination process.

The Inspector

The Secretary of State has appointed Planning Inspector Caroline Mulloy BSc (Hons) DipTP MRTPI to undertake an independent Examination into the soundness and legal compliance of the East Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2. The Examination commenced upon submission of the Plan and will conclude upon the submission of the Inspector’s Report.

The Inspector’s task is to consider the soundness of the submitted Plan, based on the criteria set out in paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2019 (the Framework). The relevant soundness criteria are whether the Plan is:

Positively prepared (providing a strategy which, as a minimum, seeks to meet the area’s objectively assessed needs; and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that any unmet need from neighbouring areas is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development); –

Justified (an appropriate strategy, taking into account the reasonable alternatives, and based on proportionate evidence);

Effective (deliverable over the plan period and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic matters that have been dealt with rather than deferred, as evidenced by the statement of common ground); and

Consistent with national policy (enabling the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the Framework).

The Inspector will take into account the representations submitted upon the Regulation 19 Plan as far as they relate to soundness and legal compliance considerations. A number of informal debates are likely to take place on the principal matters identified by the Inspector these are termed Hearing Sessions.

At the end of the Examination, the Inspector will prepare a report to the Council with precise recommendations, these recommendations may include modifications to the Plan, if such a request is made by the Council.

Guidance Notes have been prepared by the Inspector to help people understand the process. Any queries people may have regarding the Examination process should be directed to the Programme Officer who will be happy to assist.

The Programme Officer

The Programme Officer, Ian Kemp, will act as the contact for any person who has an interest in the Examination and as a liaison between the Inspector, Council and Representors.

He is an independent Officer of the Examination and works on behalf of the Inspector to organise and manage the administrative and procedural elements of the Examination process. All statements will also be submitted through him.

Any matters that anyone wishes to raise with the Inspector should be submitted via the Programme Officer.

Contact details:

Ian Kemp
PO Box 241
Droitwich
WR9 1DW

Mobile: 0772 300 9166

Email: idkemp@icloud.com

Hearing Sessions and Timetable

Hearing Sessions concluded on Thursday 5th May. The Programme details the sessions which took place and the participants.

Agendas for the Hearing Sessions were produced as follows:

Written Statements

The following Written Statements were received in response to the inspector's Matters, Issues and Questions:

Matter 1: Legal and Procedural Requirements

Matter 2: Spatial Strategy

Matter 3: Delivering the Housing Requirement

Matter 4: Housing Allocations in Oundle

Matter 5: Housing Allocations in Rushden and Higham Ferrers

Matter 6: Delivering the Sustainable Urban Extension at Rushden East

Matter 7: Meeting Housing Needs

Matter 8: Employment

Matter 9: Town Centres

Matter 10: Town Strategies

Matter 11: Social Capital

Matter 12: Natural Capital

Matter 13: Infrastructure & Viability

North Northamptonshire Council

Matter 14: Monitoring & Implementation

Evidence Base Documents

In preparing the Plan the Council both refer to and were informed by a number of documents that together form the 'Evidence Base' for the Examination.

The Local Plan Part 2 and accompanying statutory submission documents may be downloaded through the following documents:

Index of Documents

Regulation 19 Consultation Representations

At the close of the Regulation 19 consultation the Council received responses from 61 organisations and individuals, raising approximately 350 representations, which were recorded as duly made.

Spreadsheets containing summaries and the Council’s responses to each of the representations received, are available through the following links:

Redacted copies of original representations received, in full, are available to download through the following table.

Consultee	Reference Number	Representation
Individual 1	R19/001	Link
Individual 2	R19/003	Link
Individual 3	R19/004	Link
Individual 4	R19/005	Link
Individual 5	R19/006	Link
Individual 6	R19/007	Link
Individual 7	R19/008	Link
Individual 8	R19/010	Link
Individual 9	R19/012	Link
Individual 10	R19/018	Link
Individual 11	R19/032	Link
Individual 12	R19/038	Link
Anglian Water Services	R19/022	Link
Ashfield Land Development	R19/019	Link
Bellway Homes Ltd	R19/026	Link
British Horse Society	R19/034	Link
Brown & Co	R19/059	Link
CC Town Planning	R19/046	Link
Chelveston-cum-Caldecott Parish Council	R19/002	Link
CLH Pipeline Systems Ltd	R19/035	Link
Corporation of Oundle School, The	R19/033	Link
Cotterstock Parish Meeting	R19/011	Link
Countryside Properties	R19/036	Link
CPRE	R19/037	Link
Crown Estate, The	R19/044	Link
David Wilson Homes	R19/052	Link
Francis Jackson Homes Ltd	R19/021	Link
Gladman	R19/056	Link
Glapthorn Parish Council	R19/024	Link
Hallam Land Management Limited	R19/016	Link
Higham Ferrers Town Council	R19/014	Link
Highways England	R19/060	Link
Historic England	R19/0396	Link
Hollins Strategic Land	R19/061	Link
Home Builders Federation	R19/023	Link
Huntingdonshire District Council	R19/009	Link
IM Properties	R19/040	Link
Lagan Homes	R19/042	Link
Landowners of Millers Field	R19/041	Link
Lone Star Land Limited	R19/043	Link
Ministry of Defence	R19/045	Link
National Grid	R19/047	Link
National Trust	R19/027	Link
Natural England	R19/048	Link
Northamptonshire County Council	R19/049	Link
Northamptonshire Gardens Trust, The	R19/030	Link
Oundle School	R19/028	Link
Oundle Town Council	R19/025	Link
Persimmon Homes	R19/050	Link
Pilton, Stoke Doyle, and Wadenhoe Parish Council	R19/051	Link
Retirement Housing Consortium, The	R19/029	Link
Rose and Sons Ltd	R19/031	Link
Rula Homes	R19/053	Link
Rushden Town Council	R19/054	Link
Rutland County Council	R19/013	Link
Sport England	R19/020	Link
South Kesteven District Council	R19/055	Link
Taylor Wimpey UK Limited/ BDW Trading Limited	R19/057	Link
Vistry Homes	R19/058	Link
Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire, The	R19/017	Link
William Davis Ltd	R19/015	Link

Please note that this page is evolving. Further documents will be added to this over the coming weeks and months, as the examination in public (which started upon submission of the Plan) progresses.

Development Plan documents