Government intervenes after council with one of oldest local plans in the country rejects draft

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has issued an intervention notice directing South Tyneside Council to submit its existing draft local plan for examination, following a decision by councillors to reject a draft plan last week.

In a letter to the council's leader, Cllr Tracey Dixon, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook said the decision reflected the Government's commitment to delivering 1.5 million homes in this parliament and to making progress toward universal coverage of local plans.

South Tyneside's current plan is more than 17 years old, making it one of the oldest adopted local plans in the country.

Councillors rejected its draft local plan at a full council meeting last week (27 February) with 23 votes in favour and 27 votes against.

Pennycook warned that having failed to submit the plan for examination, the local authority is now vulnerable to speculative development.

"In light of these circumstances, I have considered the options available to me under the 2004 Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act ('the Act'), including exercising the Secretary of State's powers of intervention", the minister wrote.

His letter added: "Section 27 of the Act provides the Secretary of State with broad default intervention powers where she believes a local planning authority is failing or omitting to do anything it is necessary for them to do in connection with the preparation, revision or adoption of its Local Plan.

"I consider that the council's repeated votes not to submit the emerging plan for examination are clear evidence of failure to do something necessary in connection with preparing the Local Plan, and this meets the statutory test for intervention."

The council must now submit its draft plan for independent examination by 12 March, and then progress the preparation of the plan up to the end of the examination process.

It must then publish the Planning Inspector's recommendations and reasons following the conclusion of the examination and later consider adopting the plan, including any main modifications recommended by the inspector.

Responding to the move, Cllr Dixon said: "We knew that this was a risk. There is no option here, this is a direction from the Secretary of State. The draft Local Plan will now be submitted for examination in public.

"The plan has been subject to significant public consultation and is the product of extensive work to compile an evidence base over several years.

"Having an up-to-date Local Plan means that we are in control of development, and we can ensure it is high quality and accompanied by the necessary infrastructure."

Adam Carey