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Advice to Buckinghamshire County Council

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Enquiry

From
Buckinghamshire County Council
Date advice given
7 October 2015
Enquiry type
Email

As Buckinghamshire County Council have requested to speak at the open floor hearing in November, I was wondering if you could give an indication of the date(s)? I note that the examination timetable says that it will be take place in the week commencing 16 November, but I wanted to check to see whether you had a more specific date now that you know you will be holding an open floor hearing.

I have an additional query regarding the Statement of Common Ground. We are currently waiting to receive our final draft from HE so we can have it signed off by our Cabinet Member for Transportation. Can you confirm whether BCC should be sending the final version to the Examining Authority or whether Highways England should?

Advice given

Firstly, the Planning Inspectorate is required to give no less than 21 days? notice to all interested parties of any hearing before they are held. Therefore, we will issue a procedural decision formally notifying you of the date, time and location of the hearings scheduled for the week commencing 16 November 2015 once the arrangements have been finalised. You will see on the Examination timetable (http://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-east/m4-junctions-3-to-12-smart-motorway/?ipcsection=exam) that a date of no later than 26 October 2015 have been set for this notification.

Statements of Common Ground (SoCGs) should be submitted by the applicant to the specified deadline in the Examination timetable (http://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-east/m4-junctions-3-to-12-smart-motorway/?ipcsection=exam). Where it has not been possible for relevant parties to reach agreement about the content of a particular SoCG, this should be made explicit in the document itself; inevitably informing the areas of outstanding disagreement. As stated in Annex E to the Rule 8 letter, where local authorities are involved the ExA has agreed to accept draft or ?officer level? SoCGs to the deadline of 8 October. However it would be expected for those SoCGs to be finalised as soon as practicable in the following days/weeks.