Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough of 3 April 2008, Official Report, column 1275W, on regional planning and development, in which local authorities have Development Plan documents have been (a) amended by the planning inspector and (b) rejected by the planning inspector as unsound.
Answer
The planning inspector does not 'amend' development plan documents. The purpose of the independent examination is to consider if the development plan document is sound. An inspector may find the document sound; he may recommend that it is changed in order to become sound; or he may find it unsound and recommend that it is withdrawn. A local authority may only adopt a plan in accordance with the inspector's recommendations; but it also may choose not to adopt a plan.Development plan documents for the following local authorities have been found sound by inspectors subject to inspectors' recommendations for changes."Bedford""Broads Authority""Chelmsford""South Cambridgeshire""Southend on Sea""Havering""Kingston on Thames""Redbridge""Alnwick""Blyth Valley""Middlesbrough""Newcastle upon Tyne""Redcar and Cleveland""South Tyneside""Tynedale""Bracknell Forest""Crawley""Epsom and Ewell""Hampshire""Horsham""Maidstone""Mid Sussex""Milton Keynes""Portsmouth""Reading""Surrey""Tonbridge and Malling""Carrick""Dartmoor""Mid Devon""Plymouth""South Hams""Staffordshire""Telford and Wrekin""Worcester""Hambleton"Development plan documents for the following local authorities have been found unsound by inspectors."Windsor and Maidenhead""Carrick""Teignbridge""Lichfield""Stafford""Worcester""Ryedale""Restormel""Chichester"