Examination of the West Berkshire Local Plan Review 2022-2039

The Local Plan Review (LPR) was submitted to the Secretary of State for Independent examination on 31 March 2023.  A Regulation 22 Statement of Fact [132KB] has been produced setting out details of the submission and where the submission documents can be found.

Examination Latest News

The latest news on the examination can be accessed here.

As part of the examination process, hearing sessions will be held. A Regulation 24 Notice of Examination hearings was published on 19 March 2024 and can be viewed  here [89KB] .

The hearing sessions will commence at 9.30am on Wednesday 8 May 2024 at Shaw House, Church Road, Newbury, RG14 2DR. The hearings are due to take place over a four-week period, with week 2 due to be held within the Council Chamber of West Berkshire Council Offices, Market Street, Newbury, RG14 5LD. Further information, including the provisional hearings programme, is set out within a document issued by the Inspector which can be viewed here.

The Inspector

Planning Inspector, William Fieldhouse BA(Hons) MA MRTPI, has been appointed to undertake an independent examination into the soundness of the LPR. 

The Inspector's task will be to consider the soundness and legal compliance of the submitted LPR, based on the criteria set out in paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2021 (the Framework) and associated regulations, namely the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the Localism Act 2011 and the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.​

The Inspector will take into account the representations submitted upon the Regulation 19 Draft LPR as far as they relate to soundness considerations. A number of informal debates will take place on the principal matters identified by the Inspector these are termed Hearing Sessions.​

At the end of the Examination, the Inspector will prepare a report to the Council with precise recommendations, these recommendations may include modifications to the LPR, if such a request is made by the Council.

The Programme Officer

The Programme Officer, Ian Kemp, will act as the contact for any person who has an interest in the Examination and as a liaison between the Inspector, Council and Representors.

He is an independent Officer of the Examination and works on behalf of the Inspector to organise and manage the administrative and procedural elements of the Examination process.

Any matters that anyone wishes to raise with the Inspector should be submitted via the Programme Officer.

Contact details:

Ian Kemp
Programme Officer
PO Box 241
Droitwich
WR9 1DW

Mobile: 0772 300 9166

Email: ian@localplanservices.co.uk

Mr Kemp will be contacting all Representors with details of the Examination process in due course.

Guidance Notes

The Inspector has prepared a  Guidance Note [190KB] to help people understand the process. A Procedural Guidance for Local Plans has also been produced by the Planning Inspectorate, together with a short guide aimed at those participating in a local plan examination for the first time.

Evidence Base Documents and Examination Library

In preparing the Plan the Council both refer to and were informed by a number of documents that together form the 'Evidence Base' for the Examination. These documents can be accessed through the Examination Library on the dedicated examination webpage which is being hosted by the Programme Officer.

Inspector and Examination Documents

The documents that have been submitted since the examination commenced can be accessed here.