7. Examination
Site Allocations Plan Remittal
January 2024 update
Following an independent examination, the council received the Inspector's Report on 2 January 2024. The report confirms that, the Remitted part of the Site Allocations Plan is legally compliant and subject to adoption of her recommended Main Modifications is sound.
The council's Executive Board will consider the Local Plan at its meeting on 15 January 2024 with a recommendation that the Plan be adopted at a meeting of council on 17 January 2024.
December 2022 update
Following the hearing session of 18 May, the Inspector wrote to the council on the
22 July 2022 and
8 November 2022 (together with an addendum on the
29 November 2022) whereby she confirmed that her provisional conclusion had changed and she was now of the view that exceptional circumstances (required by paragraph 83 of the NPPF (2012)) to change the green belt boundary did not exist at this point in time and therefore the release of the Barrowby Lane site (EG2-37) from the Green Belt was not justified.
On behalf of the Inspector,
the council is now inviting comments on whether the Inspector's further proposed main modifications are considered to be sound. Representations must be received in writing by Friday 27 January 2023.
April 2022 update
Following the close of consultation on the main modifications, the Inspector wrote to the council on the 25 March 2022. The Inspector considers that a further half day hearing is required to specifically discuss the Integrated Rail Plan and the proposed allocation EG2-37 (Barrowby Lane, Manston).
The hearing will be held virtually on Wednesday 18 May starting at 10am. Those not entitled to participate will be able to observe the hearing session live on Leeds City Council YouTube Channel.
Read the Inspector's letter to the council.
Read the notice for independent examination
Leeds City Council
Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004
Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012 – Regulation 24
Site Allocation Plan - Proposed Main Modifications to the remitted part of the Site Allocations Plan for Leeds Metropolitan District
The proposed Main Modifications to the Remitted Part of the Site Allocations Plan were formally submitted to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 26th March 2021. As part of ongoing independent examination, the Inspector (Louise Gibbons BA Hons MRTPI) considers that a further half day hearing is required to specifically discuss the Integrated Rail Plan and the proposed allocation EG2-37 (Barrowby Lane, Manston).
As part of this examination, the Inspector will conduct a Hearing session, which will take place ‘virtually’, by means of a Zoom session and commence at 10am on Wednesday 18th May 2022. Only the Council, representors who specifically raised the matter of HS2 in response to the Inspector’s Main Modifications consultation and the promoter of the proposed site are invited to attend and participate in the hearing. Those entitled to participate will receive an invitation from the Examination Programme Officer. Those not entitled to participate will be able to observe the hearing session live on Leeds City Council YouTube Channel.
Guidance on the Examination process, including the Hearing session, can be found on the website
http://www.hwa.uk.com by clicking on the projects tab and then the link to Leeds Site Allocations Plan Remittal.
All queries regarding the Examination should be directed to the Programme Officer, Helen Wilson, who can be contacted on:
Tel: 0151 352 3863 or 07879 443 035 or by email -
Progofficer@aol.com
Martin Elliot, Head of Strategic Planning
On behalf of Leeds City Council
Date: 1st April 2022
About the Inspector and the Programme Officer
Further to the High Court Judgement of 8 June 2020, the Secretary of State has appointed Louise Gibbons BA Hons MRTPI. CEnv as Inspector. The Inspector will be responsible for conducting forth coming Independent examination of the Site Allocations Plan (Remittal).
The Programme Officer for the examination is an impartial officer, and works under the direction of the Inspectors. Helen Wilson is the Programme Officer, and can be contacted by email at
progofficer@aol.com, or by phone on 0151 352 3863 or 07879 443035.
Documents
SAP is a key part of the Local Plan. The core documents and evidence base lists are a list of documents relevant in preparing the Local Plan.
Core documents list
View the Core documents list (PDF 112KB)
Evidence base list
View the Evidence base list (PDF 118KB)
Examination timeline
March 2018 – Revised submission draft Site Allocations Plan
A Revised Submission Draft Site Allocations Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State on 23 March 2018 as part of the examination.
The Revised Plan includes revised policies relating to housing allocations, broad locations, safeguarded land, phasing and associated explanatory text, all of which were subject to consultation between 15 January 2018 and 26 February 2018. It also includes further changes in response to comments received during this Revised Plan consultation.
All comments received on the Revised Plan consultation were submitted to the independent inspector for consideration in preparation for the stage 2 hearing sessions.
Following this, the Inspectors issued Revised Matters and Issues for the Council (and others) to respond to, a Revised Guidance Note and Agenda in advance of the Stage 2 hearings.
See the
Programme Officer’s Examination website, and the
core documents and evidence base list for more information.
July 2018 - Stage 2 Hearing session
December 2018 - Update
The site allocations plan inspectors have stated that it is not usually necessary to publish any draft versions of a schedule of Main Modifications until the Inspectors are satisfied the schedule represents only those that the Inspectors consider to be necessary for soundness. The additional work carried out by the Council to support the Council’s own conclusions about which Green Belt sites to delete and which to retain is not yet on the examination website. The Inspectors consider it should be, together with the list of sites, to ensure openness and transparency. Indeed, it would probably be necessary for it to be available to enable the Inspectors to comment on the chosen and deleted sites publically, if necessary. The Inspectors do not envisage inviting any comments on it prior to any consultation of the Main Modifications.
We have published the list of
proposed sites to be deleted from the 2017 draft submission plan (PDF 150KB).
We have also published an additional update to Site allocations, which is our
response to the inspectors actions (EX75).
May 2021 - Update
September 2021 - Update
Examination hearings were held by the Planning Inspector from the 14 to 17 September 2021.
December 2021 update
Following the close of the hearing sessions the Inspector recommended their proposed Main Modifications, which they consider, subject to consultation, are necessary for the SAP to be sound and legally compliant.
The council invited comments on the Inspector’s proposed main modifications. The consultation period for representations ran from 17 December 2021 until 28 January 2022.
