I have spoken with Officials at Wolverhampton City Council and the information is becoming clearer by the day. The key to the development is what South Staffordshire District Council does with their Local Plan Review.
It will be down to South Staffordshire who will make the initial decision with the closure of their Local Plan Consultation on December 13th 2021.
– Preferred Options Plan – November 2021 (“regulation 18”)
• Public consultation on the Council’s preferred options for sites
December 13th 2021 when the consultation with SSDC closes, will not be the end of the matter. After that stage they will then consider the results and take these into account – therefore, this is not the only bite at the cherry for either Wednesfield residents, or indeed anyone else who feels strongly about these SSDC proposals. It remains however the main chance to ask the SSDC Councillors to look again at their approach on this particular site.
Plus, just for the record on Saturday 11 December – your three Wednesfield North Councillors have written to every single SSDC Councillor, just to explain why we here in the Wednesfield North Ward in the City of Wolverhampton are objecting to the SSDC Option G. (We will also be making a submission to SSDC, before the deadline passes on the consultation,as well)
So, we will be facing a schedule that goes like this –
The next significant date around these controversial plans will be around the –
Publication Plan – Summer 2022 (“regulation 19”)
• This sets out the final Local Plan for submission to the Secretary of State (SoS)/Government
• Public consultation on legal compliance and ‘soundness’
This is more focused on the legal/serious planning issue , or questioning about if the process has not been done correctly.
Submission and Examination – Winter 2022
• Local Plan submitted to Government (Planning Inspectorate) with all the comments received during the Publication Plan consultation
• Independent Examination carried out in public by a Planning Inspector
Residents and others have a chance to make representations to the Inspector.
Adoption – Winter 2023
• SSDC Council formally adopts Local Plan
So, readers these are the likely schedules, and we all need to stay focussed and buoyant. Plus, we need to keep together. You have just over 24 Hours (13th December) to put your objections in if you haven’t done so already!
