Fareham Borough Council has submitted its proposed Local Plan, the Publication Plan, to the Secretary of State. It will now be examined by an independent Planning Inspector who will be appointed by the Government to determine if the proposals are sound.
This is a hugely significant step for the Council as various changes to the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) since 2015, when the Council first began work on revising its Local Plan, have led to significant changes to the number of new homes the Council has to plan for which, in turn, have led to delays in finalising its proposals.
It can take a number of months for the appointed Planning Inspector to complete the examination process. During this time it is likely that a number of hearings will take place so the Inspector can explore comments made on either the Publication Local Plan which was consulted on in autumn 2020, or the Revised Publication Local Plan which was consulted on earlier this year. Anyone who made a comment and expressed a wish to attend the hearings might be invited to do so by the Planning Inspector.
Cllr Simon Martin, Executive Member for Planning and Development, said: ‘It is really important for us to have a robust Local Plan in place as that will set out where and how development can take place across the Borough of Fareham. I am delighted that, as a result of the hard work of the team that have spent the last five years workings on this, we have now submitted our Publication Plan for inspection. I look forward to receiving the Planning Inspector’s written report on our proposals in due course.’
In the event the Publication Plan is found sound by the Planning Inspector, it will be considered by the Council for adoption and subsequently used to determine planning applications. The new Local Plan will set out the Council’s planning strategy up until 2037.
To follow the examination process, please visit http://www.fareham.gov.uk/planning/local_plan/examination/intro.aspx
