Examination

Introduction

The Council's Development Management Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State for examination in July 2014. The submitted documents (including all the representations made to the formal Proposed Submission and Revised Proposed Submission consultations) and the supporting evidence base are available on the Development Management Plan Submission page. An index of the documents which make up the Development Management Plan Examination Library is provided in the Core Documents list.

Mr Richard E Hollox BA(Hons) BSc(Econ) MPhil(Lond) FRTPI FRICS was appointed as the independent Inspector to conduct the examination. He held a Pre-Hearing meeting on 07 October 2014 followed by Hearing sessions which started on 18 November 2014 and concluded on 16 January 2015.  The Inspector's Preliminary Findings in which he proposed a number of 'Main Modifications' was the subject of a Consultation on these proposed changes which ran between Friday, 13 February and Friday, 27 March 2015.

The Planning Inspector considered all the additional representations to his Preliminary Findings and Proposed Main Modifications and we  received his final report on 29 May 2015.

Programme Officer

Lynette Duncan was appointed as Programme Officer to assist the Inspector in organising the hearings for the Examination, and to liaise with those organisations and individuals who made representations concerning the Development Management Plan. Everyone who made a Representation to the Proposed Submission and/or the Revised Proposed Submission Development Management Plan consultations was contacted separately by the Programme Officer to confirm arrangements for the Examination in Public. As the Examination has finished, any enquiries regarding the process undertaken should be addressed to the Planning Policy Team at fplanning@hastings.gov.uk or 01424 451098. 

• Programme Officer's Introductory letter
• Examination documents list

Pre-Hearing meeting

The Planning Inspector, Mr Richard Hollox held a Pre-Hearing meeting starting at 2pm on Tuesday, 07 October 2014 at Horntye Park Sports Complex, Bohemia Road, Hastings, TN34 1EX.

• Pre-Hearing meeting Agenda

Notes from the Pre-Hearing meeting are available in the Inspector's Documents section of this page - referenced ID-4

Examination programme November/December 2014 and 16 January 2015 

• Hearing programme - Weeks 1 to 3 (weeks 1 to 3)
• Hearing programme - Week 4 (week 4)

Hearing sessions:

Hearing sessions took place on 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 November and 02, 03 and 04 December 2014 at Horntye Park Sports Complex, Bohemia Road, Hastings, TN34 1EX

Hearing Matter statements from the Council and Participants for Matters 1 - 7 are available.  Subsequent information supplied during the Hearings will be added to this page, as instructed by the Planning Inspector, as soon as possible.

Discussion on Matter 7 relating to the soundness of the Plan was postponed until the New Year.  This was discussed on 16 January 2015, alongside 3 High Court Judgements which were referenced during the previous Hearing sessions.  These can be found in the Core documents list at HBC/DMP/179-181.

At the request of the Planning Inspector and agreement of all present, these Hearing Sessions were recorded and these recordings are available to buy. 

The Inspector's documents

• ID/1: Inspectors Guidance Notes
• ID/2: Inspectors Matters, Issues and Questions
• ID/3: Inspectors revised Matters, Issues and Questions
• ID/4: Inspectors Pre-Hearing meeting notes
• ID/5: Inspectors letter to Hastings Borough Council dated 21 November 2014 - change to policy wording discussed in Matter 1
• ID/6: Inspectors suggested wording for Policy HN6
• ID/7: Inspectors suggested wording for Policy DM3
• ID/8: Inspectors note on design
• ID/9: Inspectors Preliminary Findings on HBC Development Management Plan - representations on this document were invited from 13 February to 27 March 2015
• Inspector's Report

Council documents

• Regulation 24 Notice of Examination commencement 
• HBC/1: Response to Pre-Hearing Meeting Agenda item 5
• HBC/2: Request under Section 20(7c) Town & Country Planning Act for Planning Inspector to recommend Modifications
• HBC/3 - HBC/6: Statements relating to Matters 1 - 4
• HBC/7: Statement of Common Ground with Enplan
• HBC/8 (a)-(c): Statements relating to Matter 5 Focus Areas 1 - 7
• HBC/9: Statement of Common Ground with Mr Pickup of Town and Country Planning Solutions on behalf of Mr Cooper
• HBC/10 (a)-(b): statements relating to Matter 5 Focus Areas 8-13
• HBC/11; HBC 12: statements relating to Matter 6 and 7
• HBC/13: Opening statement read by Cllr Chowney
• HBC/14: Appeal decision at 1 - 3 Chapel Park Road 17 June 2010
• HBC/15: Reply to ID/6 and Inspectors suggested change to Policy HN6
• Attachment referred to in HBC/15
• HBC/16: Reply to ID/7 and Inspectors suggested change to Policy DM3
• HBC/17: Email re cost & restrictions of providing Geology maps
• HBC/18: Natural England reply to Development Management Team re planning application HS/FA/12/00802 as requested by Mr Newbold
• HBC/19: East Sussex County Council email re Former West St Leonards Primary School site
• HBC/20: Map screenshots used for site visit to Robsack on 28 November 2014
• HBC/21: Reply to ID/5 and the Inspectors suggested changes
• HBC/22: Reply to 0683/2 Mr D Wise Policy suggestion
• HBC/23: Reply to 0292/1 Bourne Leisure Policy CC1 changes
• HBC/24: Reply to 0693/1 Messrs Lawson & Conn via Mr Hollidge wording suggestion
• HBC/25: Statement relating to Harrow Lane Playing Fields
• HBC/26: Soundness of the DMP with reference to Objectively Assessed Housing Needs and Court judgements
• HBC/27: Reply to ID/8 Inspectors suggested wording on Design
• HBC/28: Comments on Burtons' St Leonards Society suggested text for Matter 4 introduction
• HBC/29: Comments on East Sussex County Council supplementary traffic note (Rep 2144/2)
• HBC/30: Revised Proposed Submission Development Management Plan - Additional Modifications February 2015
• HBC/31: Response to Inspector's Preliminary Findings
• HBC/31: Response to Inspector's Preliminary Findings Appendix A
• HBC/31: Response to Inspector's Preliminary Findings Appendix B
• HBC/32: Response to Sport England-MM4-Harrow Lane and Grove School 

Other documents

• Hearing Matter Statements and subsequent information supplied by others
• Itinerary of accompanied site visits as at 06 January 2015