Town and Country Planning Act 1990

Conformity between plans E+W

46 Certificate of conformity. E+W

(1) The proposals in a local plan shall be in general conformity with the structure plan.

(2) A district planning authority who have prepared proposals for the making, alteration, repeal or replacement of a local plan shall not take the steps mentioned in section 39(5) or 40(2) unless a certificate that the proposals conform generally to the structure plan has been issued in accordance with this section.

(3) The district planning authority shall request the county planning authority to certify that their proposals so conform and that authority shall, within a month of receiving the request, or such longer period as may be agreed between the authorities, consider the matter and, if satisfied that the proposals do so conform, issue a certificate to that effect.

(4) If it appears to the county planning authority that the proposals do not so conform in any respect, they shall, during or as soon as possible after the end of that period, refer the question whether they so conform in that respect to the Secretary of State to be determined by him.

(5) The Secretary of State may in any case by direction to a county planning authority reserve for his own determination the question whether proposals for the making, alteration, repeal or replacement of a local plan conform generally to the structure plan.

(6) On determining a question so referred to or reserved for him, the Secretary of State—

(a) if he is of the opinion that the proposals do so conform, may issue, or direct the county planning authority to issue, a certificate to that effect, and

(b) if he is of the contrary opinion, may direct the district planning authority to revise their proposals in such respects as he thinks appropriate so that they will so conform.

47 Alteration of structure plan. E+W

(1) Where proposals for the alteration or replacement of a structure plan have been prepared and submitted to the Secretary of State, a local planning authority proposing to make, alter, repeal or replace a local plan may apply to him for a direction under subsection (2).

(2) On such an application the Secretary of State may direct that it shall be assumed for the purpose of the making, alteration, repeal or replacement of the local plan that the structure plan proposals have been approved by him, subject to such modifications as may from time to time be proposed by him and notified to the county planning authority.

(3) Such a direction ceases to have effect if the Secretary of State rejects the proposals for the alteration or replacement of the structure plan.

(4) Before giving such a direction the Secretary of State shall consult—

(a) in the case of an application by a county planning authority, any district planning authority whose area is affected by the relevant local plan proposals;

(b) in the case of an application by a district planning authority, the county planning authority.

(5) A county planning authority shall, on the approval of proposals for the alteration or replacement of a structure plan, consider whether the local plans for areas affected conform generally to the structure plan as altered or, as the case may be, to the new plan.

(6) Within the period of one month from the date on which the county planning authority receive notice of the Secretary of State’s approval of the proposals, they shall send—

(a) to the Secretary of State, and

(b) to every district planning authority responsible for such a local plan,

lists of the local plans so affected which, in their opinion, do and do not so conform.

48 Local plan to prevail in cases of conflict with structure plan. E+W

(1) Where there is a conflict between any of the provisions of a local plan in force for an area and the provisions of the relevant structure plan, the provisions of the local plan shall be taken to prevail for all purposes.

(2) Where the structure plan is altered or replaced and the local plan is specified in a list under section 47(6) as a plan which does not conform to the structure plan as altered or replaced, subsection (1) does not apply until a proposal for the alteration of the local plan, or for its repeal and replacement, has been adopted or approved by the Secretary of State and the alteration, or replacement plan, has come into force.