Exploratory meeting and pre-hearing meeting

A pre-hearing meeting was held on 12 July 2012 at Trinity Park, Ipswich, to provide an opportunity for procedural and administrative matters relating to the hearings to be explained and discussed.

Following a preliminary assessment of the Core Strategy and Development Management Policies and other submitted material the Inspector identified some significant concerns. These are set out in his letters to the Council of 6 June and 29 June and the Council’s responses are in its letters of 20 June and 6 July.

• Letter from the Inspector to the Council dated 29 June 2012 (new window PDF 57KB) - further queries and concerns for discussion at an exploratory meeting.
• Response from the Council dated 6 July 2012 (new window PDF 771KB)
• Letter from the Inspector to the Council dated 6 June 2012 (new window PDF 94KB) - initial concerns on the Core Strategy.
• Response from the Council dated 20 June 2012 (new window PDF 214KB)

In light of these the Inspector decided to hold an exploratory meeting with the Council as part of the pre-hearing meeting already arranged for 12 July. 

Agenda and notes of the meeting

The agenda below sets out the headings the Inspector followed at the exploratory meeting as well as the programme for the pre-hearing meeting:

• Exploratory and pre-hearing meeting agenda (new window PDF 37KB)
• Letter to respondents (new window PDF 43KB)
• Guidance notes for participants (new window PDF 80KB)
• Matters, issues and questions (new window PDF 68KB)

A note of the meeting can be viewed by following the link below:

• Notes of the exploratory meeting and pre-hearing meeting (new window PDF 34KB)

The Inspector asked for two documents to be added to the core document library:

• Letter from Natural England to Mr P Ridley dated 11 July 2012 (new window PDF 36KB)
• David Lock Associates map showing the Adastral Park application boundary and on-site greenspace proposals (new window PDF 1.08MB)

Additional evidence requested

Following the meeting the Council agreed to provide further evidence in response to the Inspector's questions. The two areas were:

• A paper showing the calculation behind the 7,590 new dwellings identified by the Council as the full and objectively assessed needs for the district, in order to address the requirements of Para 159 of the NPPF.
• A map showing sites of existing and potential alternative green space, where they are, their capacity, suitability and proximity to the area to the east of the A12 to the south and east of Adastral Park.

On 17 July the Inspector wrote to the Council confirming his decision at the exploratory meeting to give the Council further time to provide additional evidence:

• Letter from the Inspector to the Council dated 17 July 2012 (new window PDF 44KB)

The Council’s response and additional evidence are given below:

• Letter to the Inspector dated 6 August 2012 and additional evidence requested (new window PDF 3.4MB)

On 10 August the Inspector responded to the Council's letter of 6 August and concluded that the Core Strategy Examination should be resumed and that the matters should be fully tested at the hearings:

• Letter from the Inspector to the Council dated 10 August 2012 (new window PDF 36KB)