Latest update
15 April 2025
The Council is consulting on Main Modifications and Additional Modifications from 15th April to 26th May 2025. Responses received will be provided to the Inspector and taken into account in the examination report.
See Main Modifications section at the end of this page.
15 March 2025
Examination hearings have now closed. The Council agreed a small number of main modifications at the hearings. Once finalised by the Inspector, the Council will hold a consultation on the changes and report any responses to the Inspector to allow him to complete the examination report.
21 February 2025
The hearing statements submitted in response to the Inspector’s Matters, Issues and Questions for discussion at the hearings can now be viewed under Hearing Statements section at the bottom of this page.
24 January 2025
The dates for the hearing sessions of the Examination of the Mendip Local Plan Part II Limited Update have now been arranged. The hearings will take place over four days opening on Tuesday 11 March 2025. For further information on the hearing sessions and relevant documents please see the Hearing Sessions section below.
7 November 2024
Inspector Clive Coyne BA (Hons) DipTP MRTPI has been appointed to replace Inspector K McDonald MSc, MRTPI who is unable to continue with the examination due to unexpected changes in her work commitments.
Introduction
The Somerset Development Plan 2006-2029 relating to the former Mendip District Council area currently includes the Mendip Local Plan Part I and Part II 2006-2029.
The Mendip Local Plan Part II identified additional housing and employment sites and also included further detailed policies (for example, development management policies, community space designations) to complement the strategic policies set out in the Local Plan Part I. The Local Plan Part II was adopted in December 2021.
Following a judicial review into the Local Plan Part II, five site allocations were deleted from the plan on 16 December 2022.
Paragraph 6 of the Court Order sets out specific directions given by the Judge and requires reconsideration of the housing sites struck out of the Mendip Local Plan Part II.
The purpose of the review is only to address the legal flaws in the previous process, with the scope of the review limited to the identification of sites for 505 dwellings.
Submission
The Mendip Local Plan Part II Limited Update was submitted to the Secretary of State for independent Examination on 30 September 2024. Here are the available documents.
Inspector
The Secretary of State has appointed Mr. Clive Coyne BA (Hons) DipTP MRTPI to undertake the independent examination of the Mendip Local Plan Part II: Sites and Policies Partial Review.
Programme Officer
Louise St John Howe has been appointed as the Programme Officer. She is an independent officer of the examination and works on the Inspector’s behalf, organising and managing the administrative and procedural matters of the examination process. The Programme Officer acts as the contact for any person who has an interest in the examination, liaising between the Inspector, Representors and Somerset Council.
If you have any issues or concerns to bring up with the Inspector, you should submit them through the Programme Officer.
Information on the Examination Process
Please see the relevant pages on GOV.UK.
Programme Officer contact details
Ms. Louise St John Howe
PO Box 10965,
Sudbury,
Suffolk CO10 3BF
Mobile: 07789 486419
Email: louise@poservices.co.uk
Hearing Sessions
The hearing sessions of the examination of the Mendip Local Plan Part II Limited Update have now been arranged. The hearings will be taking place in March 2025 over the following days:
- Tuesday 11 March 2025
- Wednesday 12 March 2025
- Thursday 13 March 2025
- Friday 14 March 2025
The current programme and participants in the hearing sessions can be accessed below:
Hearing programme V3 – 4 March 2025
All the hearing sessions will be held in person at the Council Offices, Cannard’s Grave Road, Shelton Mallet, BA4 5BY.
Hearing Statements
- Matter 1
Somerset Council
LUR19-148 Rainer Developments
LUR19-015 Norton St Phillip PC
LUR19-026 Beckington PC
- Matter 2
Somerset Council
LUR19-148 Rainier Developments
LUR19-015 Norton St Phillip PC
LUR19-026 Beckington PC
- Matter 3
Somerset Council
LUR19-019 Coleford PC
Hearing Sessions documents
Main Modifications
The Council is consulting on Main Modifications (MM) agreed at Examination Hearings and other minor changes (Additional Modifications) (AM) . These do not involve additional allocations. The Council have not revised the Submitted Sustainability Appraisal (SA) Report or Habitat Regulations Assessment. Corrections have been made to SA Appendices as raised at examination (see ED10)
Consultation Documents
- Main Modifications – consultation notice
- Schedule of Main Modifications
- Schedule of Additional Modifications
- Sustainability Appraisal Report – June 2024
- Sustainability Appraisal Appendix 2a – Towns – March 2025
- Sustainability Appraisal Appendix 2b – Villages – March 2025
- Sustainability Appraisal Appendix 2c – additional sites – June 2024
- Habitat Regulations Assessment – June 2024
Any comments on MM and AM should be received by 5pm on 26th May 2025