Local Plan hearings next week

The final examination hearings for Cheshire East's eagerly awaited Local Plan begin next week before a Government-appointed Planning Inspector sitting in Macclesfield.

Members of the public and any organisations are welcome to attend the hearings at Macclesfield Town Hall starting on September 16th but it must be noted that the Inspector will only hear statements from those parties who made representations on the 'submission version' of the plan during the prescribed period, and who were seeking some change to the plan. No one else will be invited to speak but they can attend to observe.

The Local Plan Strategy document sets out the Council's case for sustainable economic growth and is the strategy that the Council wants to adopt to manage development in Cheshire East up to 2030.

The Local Plan and all associated documents, including the comments received during the representation period, were submitted to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on May 20, 2014, in preparation for independent examination.

The Examination hearings at Macclesfield Town Hall are held under the auspices of an independent Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State.

The strategy has undergone nine rounds of public consultation since 2010, and the final six-week consultation, when even more comments were received over March and April this year, attracted 3,458 responses alone from 657 individuals and organisations.

Councillor David Brown, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council, said:

"We are delighted that this major milestone in the progression of the Local Plan has now been reached after many months of preparation. We are very much looking forward to presenting our case at these hearings and demonstrating that we have a properly prepared, thorough and sound plan."

The Planning Inspector, Stephen Pratt has been appointed to conduct the examination to determine whether the Local Plan Strategy is sound and can be adopted by the Council. The programme officer for the examination is Miss Kerry Trueman. Hearings are set to continue until the end of October.

The examination is a continuous process, which runs from submission through to the receipt of the Inspector's report. Part of the process will involve hearing sessions, where those invited to attend will have the opportunity to respond to matters raised by the Inspector.

The hearing sessions will, however, be open to any parties who wish to attend to observe proceedings.

The public hearings into the Cheshire East Local Plan Strategy Submission Version, which are expected to sit for about six weeks, will begin as follows:

• Start date: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 (please note that the hearing sessions will not take place during the week commencing October 13);
• Time: Starting at 10am;
• Venue: Macclesfield Town Hall, Macclesfield, SK10 1EA. For a location map, visit the Council's website at: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk

For further information regarding the Local Plan Strategy please check our website: http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/localplan or contact the spatial planning team by emailing localplan@cheshireeast.gov.uk or ring the team on 01270 685893.

All queries relating to the examination should be addressed to the programme officer, Miss Kerry Trueman, via email at: ProgrammeOfficer@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Alternatively, by post to:
Cheshire East Local Plan Programme Officer�€�
Spatial Planning Team,
1st Floor Westfields�€�
C/O Municipal Buildings�€�
Earle Street�€�
Crewe CW1 2BJ

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