Planning and Compensation Act 1991

4 For section 13 (publicity in connection with preparation of unitary development plan) there is substituted—

“13 Public participation

(1) When preparing a unitary development plan for their area and before finally determining its contents the local planning authority shall—

(a) comply with—

(i) any requirements imposed by regulations made under section 26; and

(ii) any particular direction given to them by the Secretary of State with respect to a matter falling within any of paragraphs (a) to (c) or (e) of subsection (2) of that section; and

(b) consider any representations made in accordance with those regulations.

(2) Where the local planning authority have prepared a unitary development plan, before adopting it they shall—

(a) make copies of it available for inspection at such places as may be prescribed by those regulations;

(b) send a copy to the Secretary of State; and

(c) comply with any requirements imposed by those regulations.

(3) Each copy made available for inspection or sent under subsection (2) shall be accompanied by a statement of the prescribed period within which objections may be made to the authority.

(4) In this section “the prescribed period” means such period as may be prescribed by or determined in accordance with regulations made under section 26 and in this Chapter “objections made in accordance with the regulations” means objections made—

(a) in accordance with regulations made under that section; and

(b) within the prescribed period.

(5) The persons who may make objections in accordance with the regulations include, in particular, the Secretary of State.

(6) A unitary development plan shall not be adopted by the authority under section 15 until—

(a) after they have considered any objections made in accordance with the regulations; or

(b) if no such objections are made, after the expiry of the prescribed period.”