South Gloucestershire Local Plan: What’s Happening Now?

Hanham Green Belt
5 days ago
2 min read

Woman in an office typing on a laptop. She's focused, surrounded by files, a blue desk lamp, and an organised bookshelf background.

As you may be aware, South Gloucestershire Council has now formally submitted its new Local Plan to the Government for examination. We have received official confirmation of the next stage in this process, which marks an important moment for the future of the Green Belt around Hanham and the wider district.

The Local Plan Has Entered Examination

The Council’s proposed Local Plan has been submitted to the Planning Inspectorate, the independent body that examines whether local plans are legally compliant and “sound”. As Hanham District Green Belt Conservation Society made representations during the consultation stage, we are now formally recognised as participants in the examination process.

The Secretary of State has appointed three independent Planning Inspectors to examine the Plan:

P Lewis
E Worthington
S Edwards

Their role is to assess whether the Plan:

Meets legal requirements
Is based on robust evidence
Is consistent with national planning policy
Has been prepared in a justified and effective way

This examination is not run by the Council itself — the Inspectors operate independently.

What Is the Examination Process?

The examination is a detailed review of the Local Plan and includes:

Written evidence submitted by the Council and by respondents (including community groups)
Public hearing sessions, where key issues are debated
Consideration of objections and alternative proposals

The Inspectors will focus on the “matters and issues” they believe are critical — including, potentially, housing numbers, site allocations, and the release of Green Belt land.

At the end of the process, the Inspectors will issue a report stating whether the Plan:

Can be adopted as it stands
Requires modifications
Or is unsound and cannot be adopted

Role of the Programme Officer

A Programme Officer, Robert Young, has been appointed to manage the examination process. Importantly, the Programme Officer is independent of South Gloucestershire Council and works directly for the Inspectors.

All formal communications to the Inspectors go through the Programme Officer, ensuring fairness and transparency.

What Happens Next?

We have been advised that, in due course, participants will receive:

Dates and venues for the hearing sessions
The Inspectors’ Guidance Notes
A draft hearing programme
A schedule of the key issues to be discussed

Documents relating to the submitted Plan and the examination process are being published on the South Gloucestershire Local Plan Examination website, which will be updated as the process progresses.

Why This Matters for the Green Belt

This examination is a critical opportunity to challenge proposals that could lead to the unnecessary loss of Green Belt land around Hanham and neighbouring communities. The Inspectors will scrutinise whether such proposals are genuinely justified and whether all reasonable alternatives have been properly considered.

While no final decisions have yet been made, this stage represents the final and most important opportunity for independent scrutiny before the Plan can be adopted.