MALVERN HILLS DISTRICT LOCAL PLAN - PUBLIC INQUIRY

The Local Plan Inquiry closed on Tuesday 6th September 2005.   The Inspector's Report was received by the Council in May 2006.

Public Local Inquiry
The First Secretary of State appointed Mr John MacBryde to hold a Public Local Inquiry into objections to the Malvern Hills Local Plan.

The Inquiry opened on Tuesday 24th May at 10 am and closed on Tuesday 6th September 2005.

Pre-Inquiry Meeting 
A Pre-Inquiry Meeting was held at Priory Lodge Hall, The Council House, Avenue Road, Malvern on Monday 28th February 2005 at 2pm.

This dealt with the procedures for the Inquiry such as the programme, sitting times and arrangements for the submission and presentation of evidence. The contents of the evidence were not discussed.

Omission Sites Consultation 
During 2004 Malvern Hills District Council consulted on the Malvern Hills District Local Plan. During the consultation period Objectors suggested a number of alternative sites mainly for housing or employment development (known as Omission Sites).

Core Documents 
These are documents which identify the context of the Local Plan Review and the development of its Strategy and Policies. The documents may be referred to in the Council's evidence at the Public Local Inquiry or in responses to written representations on objections received to the Local Plan. All core documents are available to view by appointment. Alternatively, some of the document are available to purchase. For details, please contact the Development Plans Team on (01684) 862341.

Background Papers
The Council prepared three background papers to set out its position with regard to certain aspects of the Plan. These are District Strategy Paper, Housing Land Provision and Employment Land Provision.

1. District Development Strategy 
This demonstrates the relationship of national, regional and strategic planning guidance to the development of the spatial strategy to meet the needs of the Malvern Hills District.

2. Housing Land Provision 
This sets out the policy framework informing the preparation of the Malvern Hills District Local Plan Review housing land provision. It includes, how the Plan proposes to meet the Structure Plan housing requirements, the methodology and findings of the Urban Capacity Study and housing needs assessment, the distribution and phasing of housing allocations, and provision for affordable housing.

3. Employment Land Provision This sets out the policy framework informing the preparation of the Malvern Hills District Local Plan Review employment land provision. It includes how the Plan proposes to meet Structure Plan employment requirements and an analysis of the portfolio of available sites.

Round Table Sessions
3 Round Table Sessions were held to inform the Local Plan Inquiry. These included:

District Development Strategy 24th May 2005,
Housing Land Provision 1st June 2005 and
Affordable Housing Provision 2nd June 2005.