New Inspector Appointed!
Readers will remember that the County Durham Plan received a serious blow in February when the Inspector rejected large chunks of it.
Teh Council believed the Examination in Public was flawed – for example the Inspector courted objectors, whilst those who agreed with the Plan were not allowed to contribute and DCC threatened to take the issue to a Judicial Review. However, in July, pending talks with DCLG, DCC agreed to a ‘stay’ to the court proceedings.
We now have a resolution which will see the inspector’s interim report quashed and a new examination held under a new inspector as soon as possible.
Cllr Foster said: “This outcome is sensible, reasonable and fair for the plan and for County Durham. As I explained previously the council had taken these steps to defend the principles of the County Durham Plan, following the interim report by the planning inspector. This updated plan will proceed through a new public examination providing a further opportunity for all interested parties to have their views heard.”
The new plan will be submitted as soon as possible with a new examination held in early 2016. I will keep people advised on how this matter is to be taken forward as the details are known”.
County Councillor John Clare said: Whilst we might be pleased that the plan is ‘back on track’, the delay has been extremely harmful. A number of very unpopular planning applications are going through simply because there were no valid planning grounds on which to oppose them. We need to get the Plan – with its emphasis on GROWTH – through as quickly as possible, and begin an economic revival of the county.”
