The Council has received a letter from the independent Inspectors outlining their initial views on Solihull’s new Local Plan following the examination hearings that took place from September 2021 to February 2022.
The Inspectors have concluded that the Council has complied with the duty to co-operate in the preparation of the Local Plan, but they are still giving consideration to a number of significant issues of soundness raised at the hearings.
The letter can be read below.
These include the period of the plan. As the plan is likely to be adopted sometime in 2022/23 they suggest extending the plan period to at least 2036/37 so that Solihull’s strategic policies look ahead over a minimum fifteen-year period from adoption so it is consistent with national policy.
While they agree that the plan should recognise the importance of the NEC, and the potential for new housing at the complex, the Inspectors are seeking more evidence to justify the ambitious vision for the site that would see the delivery of more than 2,000 new homes by 2036.
Ken Hawkins 