Uttlesford District Council has submitted its response to the Planning Inspector’s initial soundness concerns and questions ahead of the independent examination of the Local Plan.

Planning Inspector Roy Foster had raised a range of legal and soundness-related matters and queries which identified some of the main issues he considers will need to be covered at the examination.

The council has responded to these questions and the documents are now available on the authority’s website.

Cllr Susan Barker, cabinet member for environmental services with responsibility for the Local Plan, said: “The Inspector has asked the council a number of technical questions about the Local Plan and the team at Uttlesford has responded.

“These questions relate to some of the matters raised by people at the stage immediately before submission of the plan.”

Mr Foster, who has been appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to carry out the examination, will determine whether the Local Plan is ‘sound’ and complies with all the legal and procedural requirements.

As part of that process, a number of hearing sessions will be held. These are due to take place during two weeks, beginning November 17 and December 1. There will be no hearing sessions during the week beginning November 25.

Mr Foster has said he has no intention of holding a pre-hearing meeting.

Representations that were made at the pre-submission stage are being considered by the Inspector as part of the examination. He will, in due course, also invite some of those people and groups who indicated that they wanted to participate at the sessions to talk about specific issues in more detail.

The examination sessions will be open to any parties who wish to attend to observe proceedings.

All documents related to the Local Plan, including the council’s response to the Inspector’s initial soundness concerns and questions, are available at uttlesford.gov.uk/article/3135/Examination-Documents.