Over the summer, the Secretary of State appointed an inspector, Louise Nurser, to examine the Mid Sussex District Plan. She has now published some documents on the council’s website to explain how the first part of the examination will be conducted. You can find them here, we summarise the main points.
The examination will be in two parts. Part 1, beginning on 22 October at the council offices in Haywards Heath, will consider matters of fundamental importance which the inspector will need to be satisfied about before looking at the plan in more detail in part 2. These are:
Legal and Procedural – for example, has the council followed the correct processes
Duty to Co-operate – has the council worked properly with neighbouring authorities
Vision, Objectives and Spatial Strategy – has the council set out a clear strategy
Transport – does the plan meet national transport policy requirements
Flood Risk – have the proper strategic assessments taken place
Housing – has the council properly assessed the number and type of houses needed
There are strict rules setting out who can submit material and speak at the examination, and how it will be run. We have been working hard since the last consultation ended in February, and we believe we meet the criteria to allow us to submit evidence and contribute to the hearings.
We will be arranging a meeting for local residents in a few weeks’ time, to explain what will happen in more detail; what work we have done; and what we plan to say. And we will also be asking for donations to make sure we are properly represented at this stage, and during the rest of the examination!