Planning inspector

The Secretary of State has appointed a Planning Inspector to carry out the independent examination of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies and Designations. The name of the appointed Planning Inspector is Andrew McCormack BSc (Hons) MRTPI. A letter to the city council confirming this appointment (dated 19 July 2021) can be downloaded below.

The Planning Inspector’s task is to carry out an independent examination of the soundness and legal compliance of the plan and produce a report and recommendations to the city council in respect of this. The Planning Inspector will consider whether the plan is sound based on the following criteria set out in paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF):

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 neighbouring 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