Independent Examinations of the South Cambridgeshire District Development Plan Documents

This page contains information concerning the Independent Examinations of South Cambridgeshire Local Development Framework Development Plan Documents.

Forthcoming Pre-Examination Meeting

Pre-Examination Meetings have now been renamed Pre-Hearings Meetings (PHM).

The Pre-Hearings Meeting for the North West Cambridge AAP (which was submitted to the Secretary of State on 19 May 2008 and prepared jointly with Cambridge City Council) will take place at 2.00pm on 9 September 2008 at the Guildhall, Cambridge. For more details on this examination, see the North West Cambridge AAP (This link will open in a new window) Examination page on the Cambridge City Council website.

The examinations of the first round of LDF documents are almost complete:

  • Core Strategy Development Plan Document
  • Development Control Policies Development Plan Document
  • Site Specific Policies Development Plan Document
  • Northstowe Area Action Plan
  • Cambridge Southern Fringe Area Action Plan
  • Cambridge East Area Action Plan

Development Plan Documents form part of the Council's Local Development Framework. For more information about this and the new planning system in general visit the Local Development Framework Section.

At what stage are we?

All but the Site Specific Policies DPD have now been subject to examination and adoption by the Council. For more information about this examination see the Site Specific Policies DPD page. Each DPD has been subject to independent scrutiny by way of an Examination, during which time an independent Planning Inspector will consider whether each DPD is 'sound'. After each Examination the Inspector's will write a report on each DPD containing their recommendations which will be binding on South Cambridgeshire District Council.

Appointment of Inspector

The Examinations into the first round of DPDs formally opened on 11th July 2006 at South Cambridgeshire District Council. The First Secretary of State has appointed two lead Inspectors, Mr Cliff Hughes DipTP MRTPI and Mr Terry Kemmann-Lane JP DipTP FRTPI MCMI to conduct the Examinations.

Appointment of Programme Officer

Gloria Alexander has been appointed as Programme Officer for all the Examinations and will deal with all procedural, administrative and programming matters. The Programme Officer is independent of the Council and works directly to the Inspectors. All correspondence for the Inspectors or the Examinations should be addressed to her, see contact information.

Past Pre-Examination Meetings (PEM)

For the first round of DPD'S a Pre-Examination meeting was held at 2.00 pm on Tuesday 25th April 2006 to discuss the administration and procedural aspects for the first 6 Examinations, the overall programme for these 6 Examinations and how representations will be dealt with by the Inspectors. This was a public meeting and all with an interest were welcome to attend. It took place in The Council Chamber, South Cambridgeshire Hall, Cambourne Business Park, Cambourne.

In addition it focussed on the procedures, timetable and deadlines for the first Examination, that dealing with the Core Strategy Development Plan Document. There were further PEMs prior to the Examinations into the other five DPDs (Development Control Policies, Northstowe Area Action Plan, Southern Fringe Area Action Plan, Cambridge East Area Action Plan, Site Allocation Policies) and the dates for these were publicised in advance.

Guidance Notes were sent to all respondents. An agenda was published and sent to all respondents.

All those who made representations on any of the six DPDs were sent details of the forthcoming PEM. The Programme Officer sent a copy of the Minutes of the PEMto all respondents.