Communities and Local Government written question – answered at on 15 October 2012.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to instruct the Planning Inspectorate to take account of housing needs assessments conducted on behalf of district councils where they are more recent than the data in the relevant regional spatial strategy; and if he will make a statement.
Councils can already bring forward proposals, such as housing targets, which have a local interpretation to them in their plans, based on their own sound evidence base where that is justified by the local circumstances. That evidence base may indeed be more up to date than that included in the regional strategies, and it is for the decision maker to assess each case on its particular facts.
Regional strategies remain part of the statutory development plan until such time as they are abolished. So, a local plan document must be in general conformity with the regional strategy at the stage that the plan is submitted for examination. It is for the local council submitting the plan to determine how their plan meets the requirements of general conformity.
I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statement of the
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