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Joint Local Plan 2041 Examination 

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils submitted their Joint Local Plan 2041 to the Secretary of State on Monday 9 December 2024 for independent examination. 

Joint Local Plan 2041 Examination timetable 

Local Plan Submission for Examination 9 December 2024
Pre-Hearing Meeting TBC by Inspector if required 
Hearing start date TBC by Inspector 

The following core documents have been published for submission of the Joint Local Plan: 

  • Joint Local Plan 2041 (Publication Version) 
  • Schedule of proposed modifications for submission
  • Emerging Policies Map 
  • Sustainability Appraisal (SA) 
  • Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) – Appropriate Assessment 
  • Infrastructure Delivery Plan 
  • Equalities Impact Assessment 
  • Health Impact Assessment and Policy Appraisal Tables 
  • Statement of Compliance with the Duty to Cooperate (December 2024) 
  • Regulation 22 Consultation Statement and Appendices, including summary of main issues pursuant to Regulation 20 
  • Statement of Submission 

In preparing the Joint Local Plan, the councils both referred to and were informed by a number of documents that together form the ‘evidence base’ for the examination. These documents can be accessed alongside the core submission documents through the link below: 

Copies of the core submission documents are available for inspection at:    

  • Our council office, Abbey House, Abbey Close, Abingdon, OX14 3JE weekdays from 8.30am until 5.00pm (4.30pm Fridays), and 
  • Public libraries in the districts during normal opening hours.  

The Inspector and Examination 

The councils are yet to be notified of the Inspector(s) appointed to undertake an independent examination into the soundness of the Joint Local Plan.  

Once appointed, the Inspector’s task is to consider the soundness of the submitted plan, based on the criteria set out in paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework (December 2023 edition). The relevant soundness criteria are whether the plan is: 

  • positively prepared, “providing a strategy which, as a minimum, seeks to meet the area’s objectively assessed needs; and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that unmet need from neighbouring areas is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development” (paragraph 35(a)) 
  • justified, “an appropriate strategy, taking into account the reasonable alternatives, and based on proportionate evidence” (paragraph 35(b)) 
  • effective, “deliverable over the plan period and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic matters that have been dealt with rather than deferred, as evidenced by the statement of common ground” (paragraph 35(c)). 
  • consistent with national policy, “enabling the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in this Framework and other statements of national planning policy, where relevant.” (paragraph 35(d)).   

The Inspector(s) will take into account the representations submitted upon the Joint Local Plan at the Regulation 19 Publication stage as far as they relate to soundness and legal compliance considerations. A number of informal debates will take place on the principal matters identified by the Inspector(s), which are termed Hearing Sessions. 

At the end of the Examination, the Inspector(s) will prepare a report to the councils with precise recommendations; these recommendations may include modifications to the plan if such a request is formally made by the Councils. 

Guidance Notes will be prepared by the Inspector(s) to help people understand the process and will be available here in due course. Procedural Guidance for Local Plans has also been produced by the Planning Inspectorate, together with a short guide aimed at those participating in a Local Plan Examination for the first time. 

Any queries people may have regarding the Examination process should be directed to the Programme Officer, who will be happy to assist. 

The Programme Officer 

The Programme Officer, Ian Kemp, will act as the contact for any person who has an interest in the Examination and as a liaison between the Inspector, councils and representors.  

He is an independent Officer of the Examination and works on behalf of the Inspector to organise and manage administrative and procedural matters of the Examination process. Mr Kemp is the appropriate point of contact for any questions relating to timetabling or procedural matters. All statements will also be submitted through him. 

Any matters that anyone wishes to raise with the Inspector should be submitted via the Programme Officer. 

Mr Kemp’s contact details are: 

Ian Kemp, PO Box 241, Droitwich, Worcestershire, WR9 1DW 

Telephone: 07723 009166 

Email: ian@localplanservices.co.uk  

The Programme Officer will be contacting all Regulation 19 consultation respondents when the arrangements for the Examination have been made in due course.