District Plan weight: pre-submission stage prior to consultation
What weight can be given to the policies in the East Herts pre-submission District Plan?
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) sets out the weight that can be given to relevant
policies in emerging Local Plans (such as the East Herts District Plan). The weight that can be given
depends on:
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The stage of preparation of the emerging plan (the more advanced the preparation, the
greater the weight that may be given);
-
The extent to which there are unresolved objections to relevant policies (the less significant
the unresolved matter, the greater the weight that may be given) and;
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The degree of consistency of the relevant policies in the emerging plan to the policies in the
NPPF (the closer the policies in the emerging plan to the policies of the NPPF, the greater the
weight that may be given).
So it is clear that weight can be given to the emerging Plan and the policies in it. In relation to the
criteria referred to above, the District Plan is now at a more advanced stage of preparation than it
has been to date. With regard to the NPPF, the view of the Council, in publishing the Plan, is that it
sits fully in line with the policy objectives of the NPPF and therefore it is ‘close’ to the policies of the
NPPF. The District Plan is in a position where it is possible to begin to assign it reasonable weight.
However, it is likely that the Plan will be subject to some objection during the forthcoming
consultation period, the scope and extent of which it is not possible to predict at this stage. On the
basis that there will be some objection, and it will not be addressed until the appointed Planning
Inspector considers the points raised at the forthcoming examination, the weight must be qualified
as a result.
The Council will be in a position to reassess the weight to be assigned to the Plan as it progresses
toward the examination, first at the conclusion of the consultation period, when the scope and
extent of objection will be known, and then, as it moves toward examination. By then, the Council
will be aware of the issues that the appointed Inspector wishes to examine.
At both stages the anticipation of the Council is that the weight which can be assigned to the Plan
will increase, but, it is not possible to predict that with accuracy at this stage.
In summary then, increased weight can be assigned now, subject to qualification, with ongoing
assessment as to how that weight can increase as the Plan moves toward adoption.
Updated: 19 Oct 2016