Section 12: Publicity in connection with preparation of local plans, Town and Country Planning Act 1971

A local planning authority who propose to prepare a local plan shall take such steps as will in their opinion secure—

that adequate publicity is given in their area to any relevant matter arising out of a survey of the area carried out by them under section 6 of this Act and to the matters proposed to be included in the plan;

that persons who may be expected to desire an opportunity of making representations to the authority with respect to those matters are made aware that they are entitled to an opportunity of doing so ; and

that such persons are given an adequate opportunity of making such representations;

and the authority shall consider any representations made to them within the prescribed period.

When the local planning authority have prepared a local plan, they shall, before adopting it or submitting it for approval under section 14(4) of this Act (but not before the Secretary of State has approved the structure plan so far as it applies to the area of that local plan), make copies of the local plan available for inspection at their office and at such other places as may be prescribed and send a copy to the Secretary of State; and each copy made available for inspection shall be accompanied by a statement of the time within which objections to the local plan may be made to the authority.

A copy of a local plan sent to the Secretary of State under subsection (2) of this section shall be accompanied by a statement containing such particulars, if any, as may be prescribed—

of the steps which the authority have taken to comply with subsection (1) of this section ; and

of the authority's consultations with, and their consideration of the views of, other persons.

If, on considering the statement submitted with, and the matters included in, the local plan and any other information provided by the local planning authority, the Secretary of State is not satisfied that the purposes of paragraphs (a) to (c) of subsection (1) of this section have been adequately achieved by the steps taken by the authority in compliance with that subsection, he may, within twenty-one days of the receipt of the statement, direct the authority not to take any further steps for the adoption of the plan without taking such further action as he may specify in order better to achieve those purposes and satisfying him that they have done so.

A local planning authority who are given directions by the Secretary of State under subsection (4) of this section shall—

forthwith withdraw the copies of the local plan made available for inspection as required by subsection (2) of this section ; and

notify any person by whom objections to the local plan have been made to the authority that the Secretary of State has given such directions as aforesaid.

Section 12: Publicity in connection with preparation of local plans

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