Clark intervenes amid council concerns over approach of inspector to Local Plan

The Communities Secretary has directed that a district council’s Local Development Plan be submitted to him for his approval, after the local authority expressed concern about the approach taken by the planning inspector.

In the direction (exercised under s. 21(4) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004), Greg Clark said he wished “to test whether the planning inspector has taken a proportionate and balanced view on the local plan as a whole in the light of national planning policy."

Maldon District Council had urged the Secretary of State to intervene after the independent planning inspector, David Vickery, issued his interim findings on its Local Development Plan, which the authority had submitted in April last year.

In a statement the council said Vickery’s interim findings had been expected to cover the housing strategy for the district including the housing targets.

“Without these the council has no clear basis on which to identify or plan to meet future housing needs,” it said.

“However the planning inspector only gave verdict on one part of the housing strategy, the 'traveller's policy' and considered this to be unsound and by extension all parts of the housing strategy unsound,” Maldon added.

The local authority said it considered that the interim findings represented a disproportionate response in terms of the inspector’s interpretation of national guidance.

“The Secretary of State can now reconsider that interpretation and draw conclusions on the adoption of the Plan,” the council said.

Maldon insisted that it had “always taken immense care” in the production of the Local Development Plan to meet the national requirements set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.

“Despite the council’s attempts to keep the Plan on track with an open dialogue and offering solutions to move forward, the planning inspector declined and council felt it had little alternative other than to appeal to the Secretary of State for intervention,” it added.

The local authority said it was waiting to receive further information from the Department for Communities and Local Government regarding proposed timescales and details of the next steps of the process.