Examination

St Cuthbert's Garden Village Local Plan: EXAMINATION

Before a Local Plan can be formally adopted and brought into use, it must be subject to an independent examination by an inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The purpose of the examination is to assess whether the plan is 'sound'. This is a continuous process running from the date of submission through to the receipt of the inspector's final report. The inspector will decide whether the plan meets the for tests of 'soundness' set out in national planning policy and whether it meets relevant legislative requirements.

The St Cuthbert's Local Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State on 31 October 2025.

EXAMINATION LIBRARY - click here to view the submission documents and other supporting documents that have been used to produce and inform the Local Plan.

LATEST NEWS - News relating to the examination of the Local Plan

PROGRAMME OFFICER

To assist the inspector in carrying out their examination, the Council has appointed an independent programme officer.

Ms Carole Crookes has been appointed to this role.

The programme officer is independent from the Council and will work on behalf of the inspector to organise and manage the administrative and procedural elements of the examination process.

If you have anything you would like to raise with the inspector please get in touch with Carole:

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 07397 909822

Address: St Cuthbert's Garden Village Team, Cumberland Council, 6th Floor, Civic Centre, Carlisle, CA3 8QG

More Information

For more information on the Local Plan examination process see the Government's guide on Taking part in Local Plan examinations.

Keep checking https://www.stcuthbertsgv.co.uk/Examination for progress and updates during the examination period.

More information on the St Cuthbert's Local Plan is available on our Local Plan page.

STAGES OF THE EXAMINATION

There are usually 6 key stages that form part of a Local Plan Examination. More information will be provided on each of these stages for the St Cuthbert's Local Plan examination in the Latest News section as it becomes available.

Initial assessment - the inspector will look at the plan, the evidence supporting it, and previous public consultation responses to decide what they consider the main issues are.
Written statements - the inspector may invite written statements from participants addressing specific questions.
Hearings - the main issues will be discussed at public hearings led by the inspector. The inspector will decide what is the most appropriate format for these hearings.
Changes to the Plan - the inspector will let the Council know if any changes need to be made to the plan (known as 'main modifications') and these are then consulted on by the Council.
Final Report - the inspector then produces a final report which is sent to the Council and will be published on the St Cuthbert's Garden Village website.
Adoption - the Council will then decide whether it wants to formally adopt the Plan, updated in line with the recommendations in the inspector's report, as local planning policy.

TIMESCALES

The examination process and timescales will be determined by the appointed inspector. All latest updates will be made available on the latest news page.

Generally most examinations take around 12 to 18 months from submission of the plan to receiving the inspector's final report, but this can vary depending on the number and significance of the main issues raised and the modifications needed to address them.