The new Local Plan
As the local planning authority, the council is responsible for developing local plans, gathering the necessary evidence, and consulting with local communities, businesses and interested parties.
The Uttlesford Local Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State for public examination, on 18 January 2019.
Two Planning Inspectors have been appointed to carry out the independent examination of the Plan. The council needs to continue to update the evidence that is available and prepare topic papers and summaries of the material.
The examination of the Plan has actively started, which is positive news and the council now has the 
Inspectors' Initial Questions [650.55KB]. This is a standard part of the Local Plan procedure and having this engagement with the Inspectors early on hopefully means the process will be able to progress towards the formal hearing sessions and subsequent adoption of the Plan.
The Initial Questions seek further clarity around some procedural matters as well as a number of specific topics including infrastructure, air quality and the Green Belt. The council will be working to supply the information that has been requested, and is confident these matters can be addressed by the Inspectors' deadline of 25 February.
The new Local Plan for Uttlesford will bring together all major planning policy for the District into a single document. It will also need to meet the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
