Rochford District Core Strategy Examination
Inspector’s Report Received – Core Strategy found sound
The Council has received the final report of the Inspector
conducting the examination into the soundness of the Rochford
District Core Strategy. The Inspector’s Report can be downloaded
below.
Inspector’s Report
(PDF 143kb)
Schedule A (PDF 64kb)
Schedule B (PDF 176kb)
Schedule C (PDF 18kb)
The Inspector has concluded that the Rochford District Core
Strategy is sound and legally compliant, subject to changes. The
changes (including those proposed by the Council and the Inspector
in her report) are set out in Schedules A, B and C. The Inspector’s
required changes (those in Schedules A and C) are binding on the
Council (i.e. if the Council now determine to adopt the Core
Strategy, these changes must be included).
The Rochford District Core Strategy, along with the Inspector’s
report, will be presented to the Council on 13th December for
consideration and, subject to approval by the Council, formal
adoption.
Core Strategy Schedule of Minor Amendments (2011)
Consultation
The future of the Core Strategy was considered at an
Extraordinary Council meeting on 31 August 2011. In summary, the
Council has agreed to revert back to the Core Strategy as
originally submitted for examination in January 2010, with minor
amendments, as per the suggestion in the Inspector’s letter of 11
August 2011.
A Schedule of Minor Amendments to the Core Strategy Submission
Document has been produced and is now out to consultation for a
period of four weeks between 9 September 2011 and 5pm on 7 October
2011. The Core Strategy and consultation results will then be
submitted to the Inspector.
More information can be found by selecting ‘Core Strategy
Schedule of Minor Amendments (2011)’ under Related Links.
Consultation on National Planning Policy Framework
The Inspector invites the Council and representors to submit any
comments about the implications of the National Planning
Policy Framework development for the Core Strategy
examination. You can find more information about this in related
links.
Rochford District Council request suspension of Core Strategy
examination
Response received to request to suspend examination
Following the Council’s decision to write to the Planning
Inspectorate to request that Rochford’s Core Strategy Examination
be suspended until December – the Council has now received a
response.
The full response can be viewed
here (and is also listed as a Related Document towards the foot
of this page). In short, the Inspector has not agreed to the
request but has set out how the Core Strategy can be
progressed.
Rochford District Council's Portfolio Holder for Planning and
Transportation, Councillor Keith Hudson, said: "Although we are
disappointed that our request to suspend the Examination has been
rejected, we are encouraged that the Inspector has proposed a way
forward.
This is an important document and the decisions we take will be
vitally important for the future of housing, employment and the
general wellbeing of the residents of our District.
Throughout this process we have always aimed to nurture a
sustainable future for the area.
We will carefully consider the Inspector's conclusions and
convene a meeting of Full Council on August 31 to establish the
best way forward. It remains the case that, whatever happens, it is
essential that we have in place a framework that acts in the best
interests of our residents and supports our businesses to which a
good many of our residents look to for employment."
On 29 July 2011 Rochford District Council wrote to the Inspector
conducting the examination into the Core Strategy, requesting that
the examination be suspended until December 2011.
The decision to make this request was made by Council on 21 July
2011. A copy of the letter sent to the Inspector is available to
view under Related Documents towards the bottom of this page.
Relevant reports and minutes of the Council meeting of 21 July 2011
are also listed under Related Documents.
The request was made following recent Court rulings that changes
to the planning system by the Secretary of State were unlawful, and
in light of the Localism Bill (which will have a significant impact
on planning at a local level).
In other Core Strategy news, the Sustainability Appraisal
Addendum has been finalised and submitted to the Core Strategy
Inspector. This document, together with further information, can be
viewed via ‘Review of Sustainability Appraisal June 2011’ under
Related Links.
Core Strategy update – Review of Sustainability Appraisal
The Council produced a draft review of the Core Strategy
Sustainability Appraisal (Sustainability Appraisal Addendum) and
comments were invited on this between 13th June 2011 and 11th July
2011. Following analysis of the comments received on the draft
document, a final version has been produced called ‘Core Strategy
Sustainability Appraisal Addendum 2011’. Please see ‘Review of
Sustainability Appraisal’ under Related Links for further
information on the review and to view a copy of the final
Sustainability Appraisal Addendum. The Council submitted the Core
Strategy Sustainability Appraisal Addendum 2011 to the Inspector on
26th July 2011 for consideration as part of the examination.
The Council submitted the Rochford District Core Strategy to the
Secretary of State in January 2010. Since that time the document
has been under examination by the Planning Inspectorate to
determine whether it is sound and legally compliant.
During the course of the examination, the change in government
and subsequent changes in national policy have resulted in delays
into the determination of the Core Strategy’s soundness.
In light of the recent High Court Ruling Save Historic Newmarket
v. Forest Heath District Council, Rochford District Council
requested that the issuing of a decision on the soundness of the
Core Strategy be delayed to enable the Council to undertake a
review of the Core Strategy Sustainability Appraisal. The Planning
Inspectorate accepted this request, and the review has been
undertaken.
The review of the Sustainability Appraisal may necessitate
further public consultation and possibly additional examination
hearing sessions.
The Council are mindful of the need to ensure the Core Strategy
is in place as soon as possible, but it is also crucial that the
additional work that has been carried out on the Sustainability
Appraisal is fed into the decision-making process as appropriate
and that the results of the review are properly considered.
Keith Hudson (Portfolio Holder for Planning &
Transportation) said:
“You will know that the process surrounding the development and
adoption of our Core Strategy has been significantly delayed due to
factors beyond this Council’s control, such as “Cala vs. The
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government”, the High
Court Judgement which ruled against the Secretary of State’s
instruction to disregard the Regional Spatial Strategy.
There has been a more recent court ruling relating to “The
Forest Heath Core Strategy” and their Sustainability Appraisal. We
intend to ensure that we conform to the findings and ruling of this
court judgement, and as such there will need to be a review of our
own sustainability appraisal; unfortunately this will inevitably
lead to a further short delay.
Whilst this is frustrating it will have the advantage of
ensuring that our core strategy coincides with the Royal assent of
the Coalition Government’s Localism Bill thus revoking the Regional
Spatial Strategy once and for all.
It is high time that this lengthy saga was brought to a
satisfactory conclusion; this will remove doubt, cease speculation,
and provide a surety of knowledge as to precisely how our District
will develop up to and including 2031”
Core Strategy – Inspector seeks views on implications of
planning policy changes announced in the 2011 budget
The soundness of the Core Strategy is currently being examined
by the Planning Inspectorate.
As part of this examination, the Inspector undertaking the
examination is asking participants if they have any views as to how
the planning policy changes that were announced in the 2011 Budget
recently (particularly the Written Ministerial Statement 'Planning
for Growth' issued by The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Minister of State,
on 23 March 2011 and the further details contained in the
Treasury's 'The Plan for Growth') might affect the case of
participants and the soundness of the Core Strategy.
The letter from the Inspector inviting comments can be viewed
via the link entitled 'Letter sent on behalf of the Inspector
(6.4.2011) - Budget 2011', under
Related Documents towards the bottom of this page.
Core Strategy - Schedule for production of Inspector's final
report
Following the closure of the Rochford Core Strategy
Examination hearings on 2 February 2011, and in accordance with
paragraph 5.32 of the Inspectorate's Procedure Guidance,
unsolicited material and 'responses' after the last hearing session
that have not been requested by the Inspector will not be
accepted.
The following is a proposed timetable for the production of the
Inspector’s report, based on the Judgement on the Cala Homes case
being received by Tuesday, 8 February 2011:
Letters to respondents to Schedule of Changes subsequent to Cala
Judgement – 10.2.11.
Responses to these letters to be received by Programme Officer
by 12noon – 24.2.11.
Fact Check Report to be received by Council – To be
confirmed
Final report to be issued – To be confirmed
Following correspondence received from the Planning Inspectorate
today, 5.4.11, there will be a further delay in Rochford District
Council receiving the fact checking report.
As soon as an estimated date for the receipt of the report has
been confirmed the website will be updated.
Core Strategy Submitted to Secretary of State
The Core Strategy has been submitted to the Secretary of State
for independent examination. Rochford’s Core Strategy is the main,
overarching document of the Rochford District Local Development
Framework - a collection of documents that will determine how the
District develops in the future, over the next fifteen years and
beyond.
In addition to the Core Strategy document, the Council has
submitted a number of supporting documents to the Secretary of
State. These include the representations submitted during
pre-submission consultation, as well as the results of previous
community involvement and other evidence.
The examination process includes a number of hearing sessions to
discuss various elements of the Core Strategy.
The majority of these hearings have taken place.
However, since the start of the Core Strategy examination there
have been a number of changes to government policy following the
election of the coalition government. In particular:
- Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) have been revoked. RSS set
regional policy which local authorities were required to adhere to
in developing their own strategies. For example, the East of
England Plan (the relevant RSS for Rochford District) stated how
many new homes must be built in the District. Please see East of
England Plan revoked under Related Links at the bottom of this page
for further details.
- PPS3 (the government planning policy statement on housing) has
been reissued with the following amendments:
- The definition of previously developed land (in Annex B) now
excludes private residential gardens
- The national indicative minimum density of 30 dwellings per
hectare is deleted from paragraph 47
The government has announced that, in the longer term, the
“Localism Bill” will be introduced which will provide the legal
basis for the abolition of Regional Strategies, and new ways for
local authorities to address strategic planning and infrastructure
will be introduced. The government has stated, however, that it is
important for local planning authorities to carry on delivering
Local Development Frameworks (of which Core Strategies are a
critical part) and has provided local authorities with guidance on
how they should continue to do so during the transitional period. A
link to this guidance on the Planning Inspectorate’s website is
provided at the bottom of this page under Related Links, entitled
Guidance for Local Authorities following the revocation of Regional
Strategies.
Following the recent changes in government policy, the Inspector
carrying out the examination into Rochford District’s Core Strategy
wrote to participants in the examination process, including the
Council, asking for their views on how these changes may impact on
the Core Strategy.
The Council has issued its response. To view this, and those of
other participants, please see Responses to Government Statement
under Related Links at the bottom of this page.
Further consultation on the Core Strategy
Following our response to the Inspector’s letter, we produced
additional Topic Papers on issues resulting from changes to
government policy; a schedule of proposed changes to the Core
Strategy; and a Sustainability Appraisal of these changes (an
assessment of the social, economic and environmental impacts of the
amendments to the strategy). These documents were subject to a
period of consultation (ending 5pm on 30 November 2010). The
results of this consultation will be submitted to the Inspector for
consideration as part of the Core Strategy examination.
Any queries on the Core Strategy examination should directed to
the Programme Officer, Lissa Higby, on programme.officer@rochford.gov.uk
Core Strategy and the Allocations Development Plan
Document
The Hearings that commenced on 11 May 2010 related to the
Rochford Core Strategy and not to the Allocations Development Plan
Document.
The Rochford Core Strategy is the over-arching policy document
intended to guide future development in the District. The
Allocations Development Plan Document is a separate planning
document which looks at specific sites and is at a much earlier
stage than the Core Strategy. Community involvement on allocation
options has recently taken place and a pre-submission version of
the Allocations Development Plan Document will be prepared.
A further six week period of public consultation will then take
place before a final version of the document is agreed.
The results of this consultation and other evidence, including a
sustainability appraisal will be submitted to the government in
2011, with dates dependent on progress with the Core Strategy
examination.