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Examination latest news

Important new information:

 

Inspector's Report - September 2023

The Councils have received the Inspector's Report (Document K01) following the Council's Proposed Modifications Consultation. The report concludes that the duty to cooperate has been met and that with the recommended Main Modifications as set out in the Appendix to the report, the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Joint Local Plan satisfies the requirement referred to in Section 20(5)(a) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended) as being sound and capable of adoption.

Inspector's Report (this report is accompanied by an Appendix containing the Main Modifications)

Hard copies of the Inspectors’ Report and Appendix are available for public viewing during the normal office hours of the following locations: Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich IP1 2BX; and the Customer Access Points at Sudbury Library, Market Hill, Sudbury CO10 2EN, and 54 Ipswich Street, Stowmarket IP14 1AD (for details of opening hours please visit www.babergh.gov.uk/contact-us/ and www.midsuffolk.gov.uk/contact-us/).

If you wish to contact us, please phone 0300 124 4000 (option 5 then option 4) or e-mail localplan@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk. Please note the Inspectors’ Report is final and we are not inviting comments on the report.

The Full Council meetings to consider the adoption of the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Joint Local Plan Part 1 will take place in November 2023.

The Planning Inspectorate would like your feedback about the Examination. If you were involved in the Examination because you made comments in writing and/or you took part in a Hearing Session, then we would be very pleased if you could fill in this short survey: https://forms.office.com/r/vcT3RaRvtY, which will be open for five weeks until Thursday 26th October 2023. Any comments you make will be confidential.

 

Examination Update - June 2023

The Inspectors have published an agenda for the Further Hearing Sessions (Document H44). The Councils have also published summary officer comments to the main objection issues raised through the Proposed Modifications Consultation which are available in the Core Document Library. 

 

The Further Hearing Sessions, which begin on Monday 26th June, will be livestreamed and can be viewed via the Councils’ Joint Local Plan YouTube Channel.

Examination Update - May 2023

The Councils have published a notice which confirms the start date of further Examination Hearing Sessions for the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Joint Local Plan 2018 – 2037 (Document H38). The Programme of Further Examination Hearing Sessions (Document H41) is now available.

 

The Councils have also written to the Inspectors to confirm that following the recent local elections held in the Districts, the Councils wish to continue to progress and adopt the plan in a timely way (Document G13).

Proposed Modifications Consultation - March 2023

The Councils invited responses on their Proposed Modifications to the Babergh and Mid Suffolk Joint Local Plan in accordance with section 20 (7C) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

The consultation period ran from 12 noon on Thursday 16th March 2023 to 5pm on Wednesday 3rd May 2023 (6 weeks). Further information is available through the Proposed Modifications Consultation page.

Local Plan timetable (the Local Development Scheme)

A new Local Development Scheme (LDS), which sets out the revised timetable for the production of the JLP, was approved by Babergh District Council on 25 October 2022 and Mid Suffolk District Council on 27 October 2022.

The LDS outlines a Part 1 and a Part 2 Joint Local Plan, as well as introducing nine Supplementary Planning Documents. An updated programme for revisions to the Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedules is also set out.

 

For Previous Updates please view our Previous Updates Archive page.

Appointed Inspectors

The examination has now started. Inspectors Malcolm Rivett BA(Hons) MSc MRTPI and Alison Partington BA(Hons) MA MRTPI have been appointed to hold an independent examination of the Babergh District Council and Mid Suffolk District Council JLP. The role of the appointed inspectors is to carry out an independent assessment of the overall soundness of the JLP. They will also assess whether it satisfies the statutory requirements for its preparation

Programme Officer

Annette Feeney has been appointed as the Programme Officer for the Babergh and Mid Suffolk JLP Examination. She will deal with all procedural, administrative and programming matters.

The programme officer is independent from the Councils and reports directly to the planning inspectors conducting the Babergh & Mid Suffolk JLP examination.

All correspondence or queries relating to the Babergh and Mid Suffolk JLP Examination should be directed to the programme officer on the contact details below:

Email the Programme Officer

Tel: 07775771026

Postal Address: Annette Feeney, Programme Officer c/o Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils, Endeavour House, Russell Road, Ipswich IP1 2BX

Core Document Library

The Core Document Library contains all documents which are part of the examination process - including the JLP, the evidence and correspondence.

You can access the library, which will be kept up to date throughout, online:

Core Document Library