Bracknell Forest Local Plan

Examination overview

The Bracknell Forest Local Plan was submitted to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for independent examination on 20 December 2021.

We received the inspectors’ final report on the examination of the Bracknell Forest Local Plan on 1 March 2024. The report marks the end of the examination.

The inspectors’ report concludes that subject to a number of Main Modifications, set out in the appendix to the report, the Bracknell Forest Local Plan is sound, legally compliant and capable of adoption.

You can view the inspectors' report and the main modifications document below.

This page contains links to key information about the examination process.

The inspectors

Planning inspectors were appointed to carry out an independent examination into the legal compliance and soundness of the Local Plan.

The planning inspectors were:

• Louise Nurser BA(Hons) Dip UP MRTPI
• David Troy BSc (Hons) MA MRTPI

This examination was based on the criteria set out in:

• paragraph 35 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2021 (the Framework)
• the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended)
• the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended)

The inspectors took into account the representations submitted upon the Pre-submission plan as far as they related to legal compliance and soundness. A number of informal debates took place on the principal matters identified by the inspectors. These were termed ‘hearing sessions’.

At the end of the examination, the inspectors prepared a report to the council with precise recommendations. These recommendations included main modifications to the Local Plan.

Guidance notes for Stage 1 and Stage 2 were prepared by the inspectors to help people understand the process. 

The programme officer

The programme officer was Ian Kemp. He acted as the point of contact for any person who had an interest in the examination and liaised between the inspectors, council and representors.

He was an independent officer and worked on behalf of the inspectors to organise and manage the administrative and procedural elements of the examination process.

Hearing sessions format and programme

Stage 1 Hearing Sessions took place between 10 May and 15 June in the Council Chamber of Bracknell Forest Council, Time Square, Market Street, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 1JD.

Stage 2 Hearing Sessions commenced on Tuesday 18 October and concluded on 20 October within the same venue.

Final Stage 1 Programme

Final Stage 2 Programme

Stage 1 Matters, Issues and Questions

Stage 2 Matters, Issues and Questions

Hearing agendas were as follows:

Written statements

The following written statements were received in response to the Inspectors’ Matters, Issues and Questions for Stage 1:

Main modifications to the pre-submission version of the Bracknell Forest Local Plan - stage 3

Download the responses to proposed main modifications - January 2024 (excel, 49KB)

Submitted documents

Our Statement of Fact listed the documents submitted to the Secretary of State and where they could be viewed in person.

Submitted documents can also be accessed through the table of documents on the Core submitted documents page.

View core submitted documents

Evidence base documents

In preparing the Local Plan, the council drew upon a number of documents that together formed the Evidence base for the examination.

Examination documents

Documents that were submitted to Inspectors as part of the Examination can be found on our examination documents page.

View examination documents