Highlights – Examination hearing Stage 1

Stage 1 of the examination of the Mid Sussex District Plan has been completed! In this post, we’ll give you our take how the hearings went. Bear in mind that the definitive account will come from the inspector, when she writes to the Council setting out how she sees the next steps, and what work the Council will have to do. When that’s published, we’ll post again with our reaction to it. 

WILD attended all of the sessions for matters we had responded to (including flooding) to ensure the concerns raised by us and residents were properly addressed. We were accompanied by a barrister where relevant.

In Stage 1 the inspector covered the topics which she needs to be satisfied about before looking into the Plan in more detail. Although she didn’t describe it in this way, we could see three themes:

• The Council’s overall strategy for development, how they describe that in turns of where houses should be built, and how options for delivering the strategy were evaluated
• Whether the Council is planning to build enough houses – not just for Mid Sussex, but to help neighbouring councils if they are not able to meet their own needs
• Some documents were produced after the Plan was submitted – what effect does that have on the Plan?

We already know that the inspector will be asking the Council to do more work. One of her questions was – where is the strategy? And the Council couldn’t convince her that they had one. She was also concerned that housing density – making best use of land – hadn’t been considered properly. All this means not only work on strategy but also on the sustainability appraisal, which is used to evaluate different options for building, such as in towns, or on brownfield sites. 

She didn’t see the relevance of the 20-minute neighbourhood concept in the Plan, which the Council relies on quite heavily, not least to justify the proposed developments between Albourne and Sayers Common. 

Having read and heard all the submissions on housing need, whether in Mid Sussex or elsewhere, she will make a decision about whether the housing target needs to be increased (it’s unlikely that she will decide it should go down!). 

She has asked the Council to combine with National Highways and West Sussex CC to complete the work on transport. 

She doesn’t want to take the Plan further until she is satisfied that all the work has been done. There’s quite a lot to do, and much of it will require a further round of consultation. So, although   there’s no timescale for Stage 2, it almost certainly won’t start before Christmas.