Submission of the Local Plan review 2016-2036
The Local Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State on 29 March 2022, in accordance with Regulation 22.
Further information about the examination process can be found here. This page includes the Procedure Guide for Local Plan Examinations which provides detailed practical advice and Guidance for Programme Officers.
Latest Examination News
Consultation on additional evidence base documents (September – October 2023) and the next stages in the examination process
The first round of Local Plan examination hearings was held during December 2022/ January 2023. In January the Inspectors adjourned the hearings to allow the Council to undertake further work to justify the spatial strategy and distribution of housing in the Local Plan Review (Inspector's Examination Documents).
Following the adjournment, the Council produced a suite of Topic papers, addressing issues including the updated Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA), spatial strategy, settlement hierarchy, transport, housing land supply, the West Winch Growth Area and viability (examination references F44, F47-F53). These, with appendices for each, are available to view through the Consultation on additional evidence base documents and the Examination Library Index pages.
These Topic papers (F44, F47-F53) were subject to 6-weeks consultation, from 8 September to 20 October 2023, inclusive. 51 separate responses were received during the consultation, making around 450 separate comments (representations).
These representations in response to the consultation on the Additional Evidence Base documents for the Local Plan Review have now been reviewed by the Council and submitted to the Inspectors for their consideration.
Summaries of the representations and the Council’s responses to them are available to view in the Examination Library [J1-J8], along with copies of the representations [J9-J59].
Dates and arrangements for the resumption of the Hearing will be announced on the website in due course and notified to all parties who have made representations on the Plan and the additional evidence.
Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople: Call for Sites (October – November 2023)
To meet the need to allocate additional land for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople identified by the Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Assessment, June 2023 (reference F44), landowners and/ or agents were invited to put forward potential sites within the Borough, which are:
- Between 0.2ha (minimum) and 3ha (maximum) site area; and
- Situated in areas of lowest flood risk; i.e. Environment Agency Flood Zone 1
Suitable sites that were put forward through the “Call for Sites” (October – November 2023), together with existing suitable sites with potential capacity for expansion, are expected to be put forward as new site allocations. Further details will be published on this page in early-2024.
This additional work being undertaken by the Council on Gypsy and Traveller sites is scheduled to conclude in April 2024.
Further information about the progress of the Examination will be posted on the Latest examination news page.
Examination Library
Examination documents are available to download/view through the Examination Library index and from the links below. As the Local Plan examination progresses, other examination documents will be added to the relevant page(s), as necessary.
- A - Core submission documents (A0-A12) - key supporting documents, submitted with the Plan on 29 March 2022
- B - Sustainability Appraisal
- C-F/H - Evidence Documents - submitted with the Plan with subsequent additions
- G - Inspector’s Examination Documents
- J - Responses to Consultation on Further Evidence
Other information regarding the Local Plan Review is available on our Local Plan Review (2016 to 2036) page.
Planning Inspectors
Planning Inspectors Karen Baker DipTP MA DipMP MRTPI and Mike Hayden BSc DipTP MRTPI have been appointed by the Secretary of State, to conduct the independent Examination of the Local Plan Review. The Inspectors' task is to consider whether the Council has complied with the legal requirements in preparing the Local Plan Review and whether the submitted Plan is sound, based on the criteria set out in paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2021 (the Framework).
The Inspectors will take into account the representations made in response to the Regulation 19 consultation on the Plan (August September 2021), as far as they relate to soundness and legal compliance considerations. It is likely that a Hearing will take place to discuss the principal matters of soundness identified by the Inspectors, in the form of a series of informal round table discussions. Further details of any Hearing sessions will be notified and added to the website in due course.
At the end of the Examination, the Inspectors will prepare a report to the Council with precise recommendations. It is likely to include main modifications to the Plan to make it sound or legally compliant.
Programme Officer
The Programme Officer, Annette Feeney, will act as the contact for any person who has an interest in the Examination and as a liaison between the Inspectors, Council and Representors.
She is an independent Officer of the Examination and works on behalf of the Inspector to organise and manage the administrative and procedural elements of the Examination process. All examination documents will also be submitted through the Programme Officer.
Any matters that anyone wishes to raise with the Inspectors should be submitted via the Programme Officer.
Contact details:
Annette Feeney
Programme Officer c/o
Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk
King’s Court Chapel Street
King’s Lynn
PE30 1EX
Mobile: 07775 771026
Email: annette.feeney@west-norfolk.gov.uk