Local Plan examination

Page last updated 8th July 2025

Note:

South Tyneside Council continue to add documents to the Local Plan document Library.
The Inspector has in his wisdom accepted them.
Also note that the Latest News from the Local Plan examination may not always reflect that documents have been added.

Inspectors statement published 17h June 2025

The Inspector recognises that since the Plan was published for representations in January March 2024 and up and until the point it was submitted for examination in March 2025 there will have been additional information and evidence in the intervening period. Part of the purpose of the Inspector setting out his matters and questions for the examination hearings is to enable those with an interest in the Plan to respond, where relevant to their original representations, to the soundness/legal compliance issues he has identified (published 9 May 2025). Statements can be supported where necessary with appendices containing relevant evidence/documentation, including where matters may have materially changed or been updated since March 2024 (i.e. new reports/evidence). The Inspector will consider all the statements (together with original representations on the Plan) to determine the agendas for the relevant hearing sessions. The deadline for statements is 17 June. To enable the Inspector and others to read and fully consider the various statements, this deadline must be adhered to.

If, following receipt of the statements and/or following discussion at the hearing sessions, the Inspector considers he requires additional information or copies of material not already before him, he will make this known either during the hearing or very shortly afterwards. This will be coordinated through the Programme Officer. It is important that any additional material/evidence is submitted into the Examination in a way which would enable anyone with an interest to respond to it. This includes those opposing the Plan because of the potential impacts of development; those opposing the Plan because they consider more sites should be released for development; those supporting the Plan; and the relevant statutory consultees.

The Inspector has noted that final reports from OFWAT and OEP are likely to be received during the course of the examination. That is not a reason to delay the first round of hearings in July. Upon receipt of the reports, the Inspector will most likely enable all those with an interest to submit comments within a set timeframe and keep the matter open for further hearing discussion in the second round of hearings, including the soundness of Policy 10.

In conclusion, the examination is proceeding, and the hearings will formally open on 8 July. The Inspector wishes to reassure Mr Latimer, and others, that the Examination is an on-going process. The first and most important actions are to engage in the first round of hearings and to
respond to questions relevant to those representations made in early 2024, to further explain why the Plan’s strategy and proposed Green Belt locations for growth should not be considered sound, including by reference to wastewater infrastructure.

Click on this link to see all of the submission document references, document names and ALL related web links.
Click on this link to see all of the previous document references, document names and ALL related web links

The above links will make it much easier for you to follow the documents structure and their relationships with other documents in what is an essentially complicated Local Plan Document Library that fails to provide you with all of the information that you need.

The links below provide direct links to STC Local Plan examination.
It will also provide the views, comments and concerns raised by residences of Fellgate and Save the Fellgate Green Belt working group.

The link below will take you to South Tyneside Council page that contains the submitted comments, also known as representations, we received when we carried out consultation on the Local Plan between Monday 15 January and Sunday 3 March 2024 (Regulation 19 consultation).
Please beware some residence’s have reported that their submitted representation is not included in the lists.

Representations received at Regulation 19

We suggest that if you can not find your submission, then contact the council or your Local Councillor. We also suggest that you send us a message via the Contact Us Page.