Gloucester City Plan Examination Library

The Gloucester City Plan 2011-2031 (2023) has now been adopted. Further details can be found on the Gloucester City Plan page.

Final Report

The Examination of the Gloucester City Plan has now ended. The Inspector has issued the Final Report.

Final Report

Appendix 1 Main Modifications

The Planning Inspectorate would like your feedback about the examination. If you were involved in the examination because you made comments in writing and/or you took part in a hearing session, then we would be very pleased if you could fill in this short survey. Any comments you make will be confidential.

Submission of the Gloucester City Plan

Gloucester City Council submitted the Gloucester City Plan to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government for examination in November 2020.

Gloucester City Plan - Notice of Submission

Main Modifications Consultation

The Main Modifications consultation closed on Monday 4th July. Comments were received from 30 respondents as follows:

MMR 1 - Andrew Foster

MMR 2 - Bromford 1 of 3

MMR 2 - Bromford 2 of 3

MMR 2 - Bromford 3 of 3

MMR 3 - Brookthorpe with Whaddon PC

MMR 4 - Canal and River Trust

MMR 5 - Caroline Kiddle

MMR 6 - Chris Hebbron

MMR 7 - Coal Authority

MMR 8 - Environment Agency

MMR 9 - Eutopia Homes

MMR 10 - Forest of Dean District Council

MMR 11 - Gladman

MMR 12 - Gloucestershire Constabulary

MMR 13 - Gloucestershire County Council - Asset Management

MMR 14 - Gloucestershire County Council - General

MMR 15 - Gloucestershire County Council - Minerals and Waste

MMR 16 - Gloucestershire Playing Fields Association

MMR 17 - Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust

MMR 18 - Hempsted Residents Association

MMR 19 - Inspire Heritage Services

MMR 20 - Marine Management Organisation

MMR 21 - Mary Matthews

MMR 22 - National Highways

MMR 23 - Pall Mall Estates

MMR 24 - Paul Fletcher

MMR 25 - Philip Bennett

MMR 26 - Quedgeley Town Council

MMR 27 - Robert Mills

MMR 28 - Severn Trent

MMR 29 - Sport England

MMR 30 - Taylor Wimpey

The Inspector will now consider the submissions received in response to the Main Modifications consultation before deciding on the next steps for the Examination process.

The Inspector

Planning Inspector Louise Nurser BA(Hons) DipUP MRTPI has been appointed to undertake an independent examination into the soundness and legal compliance of the Gloucester City Plan (the Plan).

The Inspector’s task is to consider the soundness of the submitted Plan, based on the criteria set out in paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2019 (the Framework). The relevant soundness criteria are whether the Plan is: 1 – positively prepared (providing a strategy which, as a minimum, seeks to meet the area’s objectively assessed needs; and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that unmet need from neighboring areas is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development); 2 - justified (an appropriate strategy, taking into account the reasonable alternatives, and based on proportionate evidence); 3 – effective (deliverable over the plan period and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic matters that have been dealt with rather than deferred, as evidenced by the statement of common ground); and 4 – consistent with national policy (enabling the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the Framework).

The Inspector will take into account the representations submitted upon the Draft Plan as far as they relate to soundness and legal compliance considerations. A number of informal debates may 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 Plan, if such a request is made by the Council.

Guidance Notes have been prepared by the Inspector to help people understand the process. Any matters that anyone wishes to raise with the Inspector should be submitted via the Programme Officer. However, the Inspector will not be accepting unsolicited material.

Hearing sessions and timetable

Hearing Sessions closed on Wednesday 9th June 2021.

Guidance Notes

Programme

Matters, Issues and Questions

EXAM 3 - GCC Opening Statement

EXAM 6 - Inspector's Opening Statement

Privacy Notices of both Gloucester City Council and the Planning Inspectorate.

Agendas

Day 1 Agenda - Matters 1 & 2

Day 2 Agenda - Matters 3 & 4

Day 3 Agenda - Matters 5, 6 & 7

Day 4 Agenda - Matters 8 & 9

Day 5 Agenda - Matter 10

Day 6 Agenda - Matter 11

Day 7 Agenda - Matter 12 & 13

Day 8 Agenda - Closing Session

Written Statements

The following Written Statements have been received in response to the Inspector’s Matters, Issues and Questions:

Matter 1 Written Statements: Legal Compliance, Sustainability Appraisal & Duty to Co-operate

Matter 1 Written Statement - Black Box Planning for Bromford Housing and Edward Ware Homes

Matter 1 Written Statement - CPRE Gloucestershire

Matter 1 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 1 Written Statement - Tritax Symetry

Matter 2 Written Statements: Coverage and General Approach

Matter 2 Written Statement - Black Box Planning for Bromford Housing and Edward Ware Homes

Matter 2 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 2 Written Statement - Gloucestershire County Council Minerals and Waste

Matter 2 Written Statement - Tritax Symetry

Matter 3 Written Statements: Flood Risk & Water Management

Matter 3 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 3 Written Statement - Home Builders Federation

Matter 3 Written Statement - Savills for L&Q Estates

Matter 3 Written Statement - Severn Trent Water

Matter 4 Written Statements: Conserving and enhancing the natural and historic environment

Matter 4 Written Statement - Black Box Planning for Bromford Housing and Edward Ware Homes

Matter 4 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 4 Written Statement - Savills for L&Q Estates

Matter 5: Promoting healthy and safe communities

Matter 5 Written Statement - Gladman

Matter 5 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 6: Achieving well-designed places

Matter 6 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 7: Promoting sustainable transport and supporting high quality communications

Matter 7 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 7 Written Statement - Home Builders Federation

Matter 7 Written Statement - Savills for L&Q Estates

Matter 7 Written Statement - Transport and Communications Stagecoach

Matter 8: Size, type, and tenure of housing

Matter 8 Written Statement - Black Box Planning for Bromford Housing and Edward Ware Homes

Matter 8 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 8 Written Statement - Home Builders Federation

Matter 8 Written Statement - Pegasus and Pioneer for Robert Hitchins Ltd

Matter 8 Written Statement - Savills for L&Q Estates

Matter 9: Minerals

Matter 9 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 9 Written Statement - Gloucestershire County Council Minerals and Waste

Matter 10: The delivery of the plan

Matter 10 Written Statement - Black Box Planning for Bromford Housing and Edward Ware Homes

Matter 10 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 10 Written Statement - Gloucestershire County Council Asset Management

Matter 10 Written Statement - Home Builders Federation

Matter 10 Written Statement - Pegasus and Pioneer for Robert Hitchins Ltd

Matter 10 Written Statement - Savills for L&Q Estates

Matter 10 Written Statement - Stagecoach

Matter 10 Written Statement - Tetra Tech for Peel Group

Matter 10 Written Statement - Tritax Symetry

Matter 11: Identifying and maintaining a supply of housing

Matter 11 Written Statement - Black Box Planning for Bromford Housing and Edward Ware Homes

Matter 11 Written Statement - CPRE Gloucestershire

Matter 11 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 11 Written Statement - Home Builders Federation

Matter 11 Written Statement - Pegasus for Robert Hitchins Ltd

Matter 11 Written Statement - Savills for L&Q Estates

Matter 11 Written Statement - Tetra Tech for Peel Group

Matter 12: Building a strong, competitive economy

Matter 12 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 12 Written Statement - Home Builders Federation

Matter 12 Written Statement - Pegasus for Robert Hitchins Ltd

Matter 12 Written Statement - Tetra Tech for Peel Group

Matter 12 Written Statement - Tritax Symetry

Matter 13: Implementation, delivery, and monitoring

Matter 13 Written Statement - Gloucester City Council

Matter 13 Written Statement - Tritax Symetry

Evidence base documents

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 found below: