The Examination in Public (EiP) of Solihull’s Draft Local Plan by independent planning inspectors is set to begin on Monday 27 September and then run through until 9 December 2021.
The two Inspectors appointed to carry out the EiP are Kevin Ward BA (Hons) MRTPI and K. Ford MSc MRTPI. The latest timetable can be found on the Local Plan pages of the Council’s website here.
The EiP will be held in the Council Chamber, but due to COVID restrictions only a limited number of participants, determined by the Inspectors, will be allowed to attend. Only those who made written representations to the Regulation 19 consultation (that took place from October to December 2020) will be able to participate in the hearings.
However, the EiP will be webcast – follow this link (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7DDSVoAIgTnwgp0Ku8iFLQ).
Cllr Andy Mackiewicz, Cabinet member for Climate Change, Planning & Housing, said:
“After more than five years spent reviewing, consulting and listening, alongside officers digesting over 3,000 representations from members of the public and businesses, we now come to the point where the Plan we have produced is to undergo Examination in Public.
“We are confident we have a sound and legal Plan. A Plan that will also support our net zero and biodiversity ambitions, helping us to improve the environment, prepare us for a more sustainable future, whilst meeting our obligations to provide homes for people over the next decade.
“This plan is vital for the future development of the borough. Providing the land to both create the jobs and homes our people want, without losing the character of the borough that we all cherish, has inevitably been controversial and it has unleashed a passionate debate over the past years. But we have listened and tried to accommodate all views where ever possible, while still producing a plan that is sound and legal.
“It is now up to planning inspectors to determine if we have achieved our goal. I look forward to following the proceedings over the coming months and a final determination sometime in the early part of next year.
“It is a shame due to COVID we will all have to follow the proceedings virtually, but at least it will be webcast and you can follow it at your convenience, either live or via the video library.”