Local Plan examinations: letter to the The Minister of State, Matthew Pennycook MP (October 2025)
The Planning Inspectorate’s CEO, Paul Morrison writes to The Minister of State, Matthew Pennycook MP in response to his letter of 9 October 2025.
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Minister of State, Matthew Pennycook MP has written to the Planning Inspectorate to outline his expectation that local plans submitted in the current plan-making system should be treated with an appropriate degree of flexibility.
Paul Morrison, Chief Executive at the Planning Inspectorate, in his reply welcomes his letter and confirms that Inspectors will continue to apply flexibility where legislation and national policy allow. The letter welcomes future changes to the plan-making system, particularly around the Duty to Cooperate and acknowledges the revocation of a previous Minister’s letter March 2014 regarding Green Belt reviews.
The Planning Inspectorate encourages all local authorities to remain in regular contact regarding timing of plan submission, to use the new pre-examination checklist when developing their plans and to use free Advisory Visits to help focus plan development on soundness and legal compliance.