Part 2Local development
F1Joint plans
15IBJoint local plan agreement or direction: withdrawal or modification
(1)
This section applies if—
(a)
a relevant authority withdraw from a joint local plan agreement,
(b)
the Secretary of State withdraws a joint local plan direction, or
(c)
the Secretary of State modifies a joint local plan direction so that it ceases to apply to one or more of the relevant authorities to which it was given.
(2)
Any step taken in relation to the joint local plan must be treated as a step taken by—
(a)
a relevant authority for the purposes of any corresponding local plan prepared by them;
(b)
two or more other relevant authorities for the purposes of any corresponding joint local plan.
(3)
Any independent examination of the joint local plan must be suspended.
(4)
If, before the end of the period prescribed for the purposes of this subsection, a relevant authority request the Secretary of State to do so, the Secretary of State may direct that—
(a)
the examination is resumed in relation to—
(i)
any corresponding local plan prepared by a relevant authority, or
(ii)
any corresponding joint local plan prepared by two or more of the relevant authorities;
(b)
any step taken for the purposes of the suspended examination has effect for the purposes of the resumed examination.
(5)
The Secretary of State may by regulations make provision as to what is a corresponding local plan or a corresponding joint local plan for the purposes of this section.
(6)
For the purposes of this section references to the joint local plan are to the joint local plan to which the joint local plan agreement or (as the case may be) joint local plan direction related.
(7)
In this section “the relevant authorities” are the local planning authorities—
(a)
who were party to the joint local plan agreement immediately before the authority mentioned in subsection (1)(a) withdrew from it, or
(b)
to whom the joint local plan direction applied immediately before it was withdrawn or modified by the Secretary of State.