18Supplementary provisions as to structure and local plans
(1)Without prejudice to the preceding provisions of this Part of this Act, the Secretary of State may make regulations with respect to the form and content of structure and local plans and with respect to the procedure to be followed in connection with their- preparation, submission, withdrawal, approval, adoption, making, alteration, repeal and replacement; and in particular any such regulations may—
(a)provide for the publicity to be given to the report of any survey carried out by a local planning authority under section 6 of this Act;
(b)provide for the notice to be given of, or the publicity to be given to, matters included or proposed to be included in any such plan, and the approval, adoption or making of any such plan or any alteration, repeal or replacement thereof or to any other prescribed procedural step, and for publicity to be given to the procedure to be followed as aforesaid;
(c)make provision with respect to the making and consideration of representations with respect to matters to be included in, or objections to, any such plan or proposals for its alteration, repeal or replacement;
(d)without prejudice to paragraph (b) of this subsection, provide for notice to be given to particular persons of the approval, adoption or alteration of any plan, if they have objected to the plan and have notified the local planning authority of their wish to receive notice, subject (if the regulations so provide) to the payment of a reasonable charge for receiving it;
(e)require or authorise a local planning authority to consult with, or consider the views of, other persons before taking any prescribed procedural step;
(f)require a local planning authority, in such cases as may be prescribed or in such particular cases as the Secretary of State may direct, to provide persons making a request in that behalf with copies of any plan or document which has been made public for the purpose mentioned in section 8(1)(a) or 12(1)(a) of this Act or has been made available for inspection under section 8(2) or 12(2) of this Act, subject (if the regulations so provide) to the payment of a reasonable charge therefor ;
(g)provide for the publication and inspection of any structure plan or local plan which has been approved, adopted or made, or any document approved, adopted or made altering, repealing or replacing any such plan, and for copies of any such plan or document to be made available on sale.
(2)Regulations under this section may extend throughout England and Wales or to specified areas only and may make different provisions for different cases.
(3)Subject to the preceding provisions of this Part of this Act and to any regulations under this section, the Secretary of State may give directions to any local planning authority, or to local planning authorities generally,—
(a)for formulating the procedure for the carrying out of their functions under this Part of this Act;
(b)for requiring them to give him such information as he may require for carrying out any of his functions under this Part of this Act.
(4)Subject to the provisions of section 242 of this Act, a structure plan or local plan or any alteration, repeal or replacement thereof shall become operative on a date appointed for the purpose in the relevant notice of approval, resolution of adoption or notice of the making, alteration, repeal or replacement of the plan.