Calderdale's Local Development Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State in January 2019, following its approval by Labour and Liberal Councillors last year. Katie Child was subsequently appointed by the Secretary of State as the Inspector to conduct the examination to determine whether the Plan is sound.
The Local Plan Examination hearings will take place in two stages.
The Stage 1 hearings, which will consider legal/procedural matters, vision and strategy, housing and employment need, and supply and travellers. These hearings will commence on Wednesday 26th June 2019 and will run until Friday 5th July 2019. Although the period for registering to speak at this stage has now p[assed, members of the pubic are able to turn up and watch proceedings. The hearings will be held at Shelf Village Hall, Halifax Road, Shelf, HX3 7NT.
The Stage 2 hearing dates, which will cover the spatial development strategy, the soundness of individual site allocations, and other policy matters will be confirmed in due course, but could provisionally be from Autumn 2019 onwards. The venue for stage 2 has not been confirmed yet; however, it is likely to be at the Shay Stadium.
The Inspector has now released to the Council the draft programme for the Stage 1 hearings, Guidance Notes and Inspectors Matters, Issues and Questions. Calderdale's website (www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/environment-planning-and-building/pl…) contains all of the relevant information including links to documents and the latest Examination news. The page to be updated on a regular basis as the Examination proceeds and new documents are received. The Infrastructure Delivery Plan has just been refreshed and the new document can be downloaded here: www.calderdale.gov.uk/v2/residents/environment-planning-and-building/pl…
Many residents will be aware of the significant concerns that I have in relation to the Plan. We need new housing in all of our communities across the valley but these have to be accompanied by the new roads, schools and health facilities that will make these new developments sustainable. Additional development also has to be proportionate to the size of our existing settlements so that local people can accept a reasonable amount of new housing. The current Plan does not meet many of these challenges and I will be attending the first hearing stage to outline my concerns to the Inspector.
Craig