Examination matters and documents

This page will contain information relating to the Examination in Public being carried out by the Planning Inspector into the soundness and legal compliance of Our Local Plan: 2033. We will update this page as and when information becomes available and will include detail on hearing sessions and matters being discussed.

• ID1 - Inspector Appointment Letter
• ID2 - Inspector's Initial Letter (March 2019)
• ID3 - Further Inspector Question (HRA vs Sweetman) (April 2019)
• TED01 - Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications (May 2019)
• TED02 - Response to Inspector Documents ID2 and 3
• ID4 - Inspector's guidance notes
• ID4 - (Version 3 minor clarifications/grammatical corrections only) – Inspector’s guidance notes
• ID5 - Matters, Questions and Issues (MIQ’s)
• ID5 - (Version 3 minor clarifications/grammatical corrections only) – Matters, Questions and Issues (MIQ’s)
• ID6 - Current Timetable V7 Publication Version (4 October 2019). These dates are subject to change at the discretion of the Planning Inspector. If there are any changes they will be published on this page.
• ID-6A Current Timetable V11 Re-Scheduled Week 2 21st November 2019 Publication Version (22 November 2019)

Inspector's note, 22 November 2019

On 7 November 2019 the Planning Inspectorate explained its approach to casework in the pre-election period.

For Local Plan work, all scheduled local plan examinations and hearing sessions will continue during the pre-election period. To avoid making announcements  which could be politically sensitive, the Planning Inspectorate will not issue any letters regarding the soundness or legal compliance of local plans, or final reports (including for fact check), until after the election.

Consequently, the Inspector will not issue any ruling regarding the potential implications for the examination of the Tandridge Local Plan, which may arise from the examination of the Sevenoaks District Local Plan, which has been requested by a representor.

The Inspector decided, after consultation with Tandridge District Council, it would be pragmatic to proceed with the remaining scheduled hearings for the Tandridge Local Plan and these were held on Tuesday 26, Wednesday 27 and Thursday 28 November as programmed.

The Inspector invited Tandridge District Council to comment on the potential implications for the examination of the Tandridge Local Plan, which may arise from the examination of the Sevenoaks District Local Plan and this response can be found below.

Next steps

The timetable for receiving feedback from the Inspector is currently unknown. Verbal indications from the Planning Inspector overseeing the process in the closing part of the hearing sessions on 28 November 2019, indicated that the Council should expect to hear back from him in the “…first couple of months…” of 2020, but no fixed date was given. The Planning Inspector has since confirmed, via the Programme Officer, that he is continuing to prepare his post-hearing response to the Council and will issue this in due course. We will publish his response on the website when it is received.

The initial conclusions could take the form of either a letter or a report, but the Inspector has not specified which approach he will take. Regardless of the format, the initial conclusions will provide the Council with an indication about whether the plan can be found sound and to what extent. It is anticipated his response will include the Inspector's view on the inclusion of South Godstone Garden Community.

The Inspector is also likely to set out steps which the Council should take ie preparing modifications, undertaking consultation and if there are any areas that require further work.  The Council will need to engage with the Inspector on his recommendations and proposed modifications which he judges to be necessary to ensure the Plan is ‘Sound’. This engagement will be at his discretion and via the programme officer.

Inspector led clarification questions

Before the Inspector can finalise and issue his post-hearing feedback, we have been asked by the Inspector to respond to a number of questions including:

• ID12 relating to the Garden Community, which has been responded to in documents TED37, TED38 and TED38a. 
• ID13 requesting an updated Statement of Common Ground with Surrey County Highways and Highways England regarding Junction 6 of the M25, which is in progress.
• ID14 relating to the publication by the Office for National Statistics of the 2018-based Household Projections, responded to through TED42; and
• ID15 to understand any impacts brought about by The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2020, responded to under TED41. 

We are continuing work on a response to the Inspector on ID13 which requires working with a number of parties. We will update the website to provide further information when it is available. When the Inspector has received the responses, they will be published on the website accordingly. Please note this is the same information available to the Programme Officer and it is the Council’s most up to date position.

The list of Inspector led clarification questions is as follows:

• ID12 - Inspector clarification questions RE Housing Infrastructure Fund.
• ID13 - Inspector letter RE Housing Infrastructure Fund.
• ID14 - Inspector letter re 2018-based Household Projections.
• ID15 - Inspector letter re The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) (Amendment)(England) Regulations 2020.

Inspector led post hearing consultations (December 2019/January 2020)

The Inspector invited comment on some of the documents published during and after the hearing sessions. The consultations are detailed below.

Responses to Matters, Issues and Questions (MIQs)

Some Hearing Statements address more than one Matter. Where this is the case, they have been filed under the first Matter which they address.

If you have a visual impairment and would like an accessible version of a document, please contact customer services.

TED13 - TDC Housing Committee Agenda 190919