Regulation 19 Consultation - Dacorum Local Plan to 2041
All representations must be submitted and received by the Council no later than 12pm on Tuesday 17 December 2024.
The Local Plan to 2041 is available to view and download here.
It sets out our approach to accommodating growth across Dacorum, the sites we are proposing, and the policies that will guide our decisions on development and regeneration in the borough.
To view the evidence library, please click here.
IMPORTANT: We are aware that a number of people have raised concerns about the technical nature of the consultation and the questions raised. In order to be considered by the Planning Inspector, representations need to follow a specific format which considers if the Local Plan to 2041 is legally compliant, sound and compliant with the Duty to Cooperate.
This is in accordance with national guidance and the model form template, which is available to view here. This approach and series of questions are standard for all Local Plans that reach this advanced stage of the process, as opposed to earlier stages such as those that we consulted on between 2017 and 2023.
This is unfortunately a matter that is outside of the control of Dacorum Borough Council who have followed the suggested approach of the Planning Inspectorate. To assist those who are not familiar with this stage, we have provided specific guidance below for those wishing to make a general objection on a site or scale of growth in a particular location.
To find out more about the plan making process, legal compliance and tests of soundness, please view our FAQs, and click on the links below:
- National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
- Government Local Plan Guidance
- Government Plan making Guidance
Guidance on making a representation:
Responses must be made using the representation form. You can download the representation form here. You may need to click 'enable editing' in order to complete your response.
Part A is for your contact details that will be forwarded to the Planning Inspectorate in due course. You only need to complete Part A once. Part A must include a name and a means of contact (email or postal address) for it to be considered. This data will be managed by a Programme Officer who acts as the point of contact between the Council, the Inspector and respondents.
Part B is your response on a particular part of the Dacorum Local Plan to 2041. You only need to complete Part B once if your comment is specific to one part of the plan such as a policy, site allocation or the overarching spatial strategy.
If you have multiple comments that you wish to make to different sections across the Local Plan, you will need to complete Part B multiple times. This can be done by simply 'copying and pasting' the Part B section in the word document as many times as is needed.
Once you have completed the form, please submit it by following the link at the bottom of this page. Dacorum Borough Council are unable to accept emails as formal responses. Alternative, you can submit hard copy responses by post to Strategic Planning, Dacorum Borough Council, The Forum, Marlowes, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1DN.
Guidance for General Objections:
If you are seeking to make a general, one-off objection to the Dacorum Local Plan to 2041, but are unsure of how to complete the form, please consider the following instructions for Part B:
- If objecting to a specific site, enter the site reference or name of the site in the Policy box in question 3. If you are unsure, you can find these in the draft Local Plan or our interactive submission policies map.
- If objecting to overall growth at one or more settlements in the borough, enter “SS1” (this is the policy defining the Spatial Strategy) in the Policy Box in question 3.
- If objecting to any other policy in the Local Plan to 2041, the correct policy reference from the Local Plan.
- Please ensure that you tick “No” when asked if you consider the Local Plan to be “Sound” in question 4. This means that you consider the evidence justifying the policy or allocation to be flawed.
- Submit the details of your objection in question 5, ensuring you are clear on where your objections relate to. It is helpful to support your case with reference to the evidence you consider to be flawed.
- If necessary include/add any specific changes you wish to see made in question 6 (e.g. “Please delete site XXXXXX”).
- If you wish to attend the Examination Hearings, please answer “Yes” to question 7 and if possible state your reasons for this through question 8. This will help the independent Planning Inspector come to a view on those best suited to attend the hearing sessions.
Further Information:
Please note that this will be the last stage of public engagement before the draft plan is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for examination.
Please not that representations must not be anonymous. Any anonymous representations will not be considered by the Planning Inspector.
For further information, or if you need any assistance, please contact the Strategic Planning Team.
Email: strategic.planning@dacorum.gov.uk
Phone: 01442 228000