Notification
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.
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 update was submitted to the Secretary of State for independent Examination on 30 September 2024.
The Notice of Submission and links to submission documents can be found on the Adopted Local Plans page.
Inspector
The Secretary of State will shortly appoint an Inspector to carry out the independent examination of the Local Plan and details of the appointment will be available on this page as soon as they become available.
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.
Any matters that anyone wishes to raise with the Inspector should be submitted 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