Draft West Midlands RSS Phase Two Revision
Examination in Public (EiP) - Welcome Page
03 November 2009
Following comments received in relation to the Panel Report a small number of issues have been considered further by the Panel. The attached addendum should be read in conjunction with the Panel Report.
34kb29 September 2009
Dated Secretariat Letter 
24kb
West Midlands (Phase 2) Panel Report 2.54kb
West Midlands (Phase 2) Panel Report Annexes 3.19kb
04 September 2009
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Secretariat have now stood down. As the Examination has closed, no further submissions can be made. All future correspondence on this RSS should be directed to
The Regional Spatial Strategy Team
Government Office for the West Midlands
5th Floor, 5 St Philip's Place
Birmingham B3 2PW
Ian Smith - 0121 352 5285
Victoria Meikle - 0121 352 5306
Janet Sawyer - 0121 352 5054
James Webb - 0121 352 5363
Email: rss.team@gowm.gsi.gov.uk
The Panel will complete their Report shortly. Notices of receipt of the Report will be posted by both the Regional Assembly and the Government Office on their websites in the near future.
30 June 2009
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Examination in Public closed at 5.50 p.m. on Wednesday 24 June 2009. The Panel can accept no further submissions now that the Examination has been closed. The Secretariat has returned to the Birmingham office at 5 St Philip's Place, Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2PW, 0121 352 5483, wm.panelsecretary@gowm.gsi.gov.uk.
The Panel will spend the coming months in writing their Report. Notices of receipt of the Report will be posted by both the Regional Assembly and the Government Office on their websites in the Autumn.
22 June 2009
Please see the series of letters posted below in respect of the SEA Directive.
EXAM44 Letter from WMRA to Panel in response to EXAM43 dated 19 June 2009 1016kb
EXAM43 Letter from Panel to WMRA in response to EXAM42 19kb
EXAM42 - Letter to Panel re SEA Directive 12 June 09 275kb
9 June 2009
Important Notice: The Examination Timetable is running to plan and the next session is Matter 8E(iv) starting at 09.30 on Tuesday, 16 June 2009. However, the Panel have reviewed the Timetable in the light of progress to date and have decided that Matter 8F(i) will now only take place on Wednesday, 17 June 2009, starting at 09.30.
8 June 2009
The latest version of the Library List has been posted on the Document Centre page, together with the Panel Notes for Matters 1-8E(iii).
13 May 2009 - The Panel Notes for Examination Week 3 (commencing 19 May 2009) will NOT be distributed to participants before the morning of Monday 18 May 2009 at the earliest. It should be noted for all sessions that the Notes will be distributed to participants as soon as they are ready. Time for the Panel and the Secretariat out of the Examination is at a premium and is being spent on vital work related to the Examination; it would be appreciated if routine questions could be kept to the minimum.
Please note that the Secretariat Office has moved to the Molineux Stadium, Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, WV1 4QR, for the duration of the Examination. Messages left on the Birmingham telephone number or sent to the GO-WM e-mail address after close of business on Friday 24 April, will not be picked up. Telephone and Internet connections for Molineux are:
Telephone: 01902 687020 E-Mail: wmpanelsecretary@hotmail.co.uk
Panel Notes setting out the debating agenda for Matters will be distributed directly to the Participants; paper copies will be available at the sign in table for non-participants and observers at each Matter.
11 May 2009
The latest version of the Library list (dated 11 May 2009) can be found on the 'Document Centre' page via the link to the right, together with the Panel Notes for the debates held on Matters 1 - 3C.
20 April 2009
All the Statements for the Examination can be found on the Participant Statements page via the link on the right. As there have been delays in updating the webpages and a considerable number of documents added since 3 April 2009, two versions of the Library list are posted (issue date 17 April and 20 April 2009) on the Document Centre via the link to the right. Apologies for the delays in editing these pages due to circumstances beyond the control of the Panel Secretariat.
8 April 2009
Folders containing the Participant and Non Participant statements for Matters 1 - 8G(i) inclusive are posted on the Participant Statements page via the link on the right. The three remaining packages, 8G(ii), 8H & 9, will be available after Easter but, due to major work being carried out on this website, it will not be possible to post anything new until after Thursday 16 April 2009.
7 April 2009
The Notes from the Technical Seminar on Water held on Wednesday 18 March 2009 are posted on the Meetings and Minutes page via the link on the right.
3 April 2009
The first of the Participant statements and Written Representations from non participants can be found on the Participants' Statements page via the link on the right. Further folders of statements will be posted as they are assembled and the Panel Secretary hopes that they will all be there before Easter, or soon after.
31 March 2009
The contact details for the Secretariat for the duration of the Examination at the Molineux Stadium can be found on the Contact Detail page via the link on the right BUT these should not be used before 27 April 2009 when the Secretariat moves to Wolverhampton.
27 March 2009
A revised version of the Library List (27 March 2009) can now be found on the Document Centre page via link on right; documents added since the last version have been highlighted in red font.
24 March 2009
The Minutes of the Second Preliminary Meeting, held in Wolverhampton on Wednesday 18 March 2009, can be found on the Meetings and Minutes page via link on right.
19 March 2009
The presentation material from the Technical Water Seminar held on Wednesday 18 March 2009 can be found on the Meetings and Minutes Page. Notes of the question and answer session held at the end of the Seminar will be posted on that page in the next few days.
A link to the Regional Assembly's page which holds the most recent documents submitted to the Examination can be found on the Links page.
Venue Services, the sound technicians to the Examination, are providing a live streaming service throughout the Examination; the relevant link to their website can be found at the Links page.
13 March 2009
A revised version of the Library List (13 March 2009) can now be found on the Document Centre page via link on right; documents added since the last version have been highlighted in red font.
The detailed Examination Timetable can be found on the Timetable/Progamme page via the link on the right.
The Final Matters and Participants details can be found on the Representations page via the link on the right.
The Second Preliminary Meeting will start at 11.00 on Wednesday 18 March 2009 at the Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton. Coffee will be available for purchase between 10.30 and 10.55 and the agenda for the Meeting will be available on the day.
10 March 2009
The Household Projections to 2031 have been published today and can be found via the Communities and Local Government website: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/pdf/1172133.pdf
27 February 2009
Details of the Technical Seminar on Water Issues can be found on the Meetings and Minutes page (via link on right).
26 February 2009
The first copy of the Library list of documents is issued today and can be found on the Document Centre page (via link on right). It is anticipated that further documents may be added before the close of the Examination and new versions of this list will be issued periodically.
24 February 2009
Summaries of all the responses received during the main consultation period, which ended on 8 December 2008, can be found on the Representations page (via link on right). The Notes of the Question and Answer sessions at the Technical Housing Seminar held on 28 January 2009 can be found on the Meetings and Minutes page (via link on right).
20 February 2009
A summary of the comments received on the draft List of Matters and Participants can be found on the Representations page (via link on right). The Panel Secretary hopes to post the summaries of all responses to the consultation on the main document (which ended on 8 December 2008) by week ending 27 February 2009.
5 February 2009
The Minutes of the First Preliminary Meeting, held on 27 January 2009, can be found on the Meetings and Minutes page (via link on right).
3 February 2009
Housing Seminar (28 January 2009) Presentations can be found on the Meetings and Minutes page (via link on right).
26 January 2009
Guidance notes for the Examination can be found on the Document Centre page (via link on right). Many of your questions will be answered within these Notes, whether or not you become a participant. You are strongly advised to read these Notes first and if you still have unanswered questions contact the Secretariat (details on the Contacts page).
21 January 2009
The draft List of Matters and Participants and the Programme for the Housing Seminar to be held on 28 January 2009 can be found on the News page (via link on right).
28 November 2008
The Molineux Stadium is within comfortable walking distance of the railway station (less than 15 minutes) and there are around 8 trains per hour at peak times to and from Birmingham New Street. For those travelling by car the Stadium is signposted from the ring road and there is ample car parking at the Stan Cullis Stand which is accessed from Jack Hayward Way. Parking is free if you tell the parking attendants you are there for the West Midlands Examination in Public. Please note that there are no facilities for purchasing food at the venue but sandwiches and hot food can be purchased various establishments nearby. Tea and coffee will be available for purchase at the venue.
Directions to Molineux Stadium - directions_to_ molineux_stadium 612kb
November 2008
The Examination in Public will open on Tuesday 28 April 2009, the venue being the Haywood Suite, Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, entrance in Waterloo Road and it is expected to last a maximum of seven sitting weeks ending Friday 26 June 2009, with two recess weeks.
October 2008
The independent study commissioned by Government Office for the West Midlands to assess and identify the potential capacity for additional housing numbers in the West Midlands is now available. Links to the study can be found be visiting the Government Office web page at www.go-wm.gov.uk and clicking on 'Planning' from the menu on the left. Then click onto the menu option (again on the left) for Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners RSS Phase 2 Study. Once on this page an internet link to the study itself can be found at the bottom of the page.
Comments on the West Midlands Regional Assembly Phase 2 Revision Draft need to be with me, the Panel Secretary, no later than midday on Monday 8 December 2008. Please note that the Panel will not accept submissions received after this date.
The Panel would find it helpful to distinguish between issues, therefore, if your response includes any comments on the Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners Study these should be made on a separate piece of paper.
30 June 2008
The National Housing and Planning Advice Unit has published it's final advice for all the regions. The document is called "Meeting the housing requirements of an aspiring and growing nation".
June 2008
Government Office for the West Midlands have appointed Nathaniel Lichfield & Partners (NLP) to provide the study detailed below. The Consultants are using the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit's interim report "Developing a target range for the supply of new homes across England" (NHPAU's response to the Government Green Paper "Homes for the future:more affordable, more sustainable") as part of their base data and this interim report can be found at:
It is expected that NLP will publish their report on 7 October 2008 and the West Midlands Regional Assembly have decided to extend the consultation on the RSS Phase Two Revision until 12 noon on Monday 8 December 2008 in order that respondents can take account of this latest evidence from the Government.
It is now anticipated that the Public Examination into the Phase Two draft will take place between late April and late June 2009 although precise dates and venue have still to be decided. It is likely that the first Preliminary Meeting will be held in late January 2009 but, again, exact dates and venue are not yet decided.
The Panel Secretariat office is now manned daily between 08.30 and 13.30 (Monday to Friday) and David Teasdale the Panel Assistant can be contacted on: 0121 352 5483: e-mail address - wm.panelsecretary@gowm.gsi.gov.uk. The office address is:
c/o Government Office for the West Midlands, 4th Floor, 5 St Philip's Place, Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2PW
26 March 2008
The Government Office for the West Midlands are in the process of commissioning further work to look at options for delivering higher housing numbers in the Region, and possible implications for the key principles and objectives of the Regional Spatial Strategy. GOWM hope to appoint consultants in early April and anticipate that the study will take between three and six months to complete. This will have implications for the timetable for the Phase Two Revision as GOWM want to give their regional partners the opportunity to both engage with the study and to see its findings early enough to enable them to make their own contributions to the Public Examination. Until the consultants have been appointed it is not possible to give any firm details of the revision timetable changes. GOWM anticipate that the West Midlands Regional Assembly will wish to extend the consultation beyond the provisional date of 30 June 2008 to allow consultees an opportunity to comment on the study alongside the Phase Two revision. I can confirm that the Public Examination into the Phase Two Revision will now take place in 2009.
Further updates will be made available on this website as they become available.
Pam Perceval-Maxwell, Panel Secretary
21 February 2008
The Phase Two draft revision was formally submitted to the Secretary of State on 21 December 2007; on 7 January 2008 the Baroness Andrews (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State) wrote to the Regional Planning Partnership for the West Midlands Regional Assembly. In her letter she advises that she has asked the Government Office for the West Midlands (GOWM) to commission some further work looking at options which could deliver higher housing numbers. The aim will be to provide the Examination Panel with options that could deliver housing numbers which will start to impact on affordability whilst maintaining as many of the principles of the Spatial Strategy as possible. A copy of this letter can be seen on the GOWM website - www.go-wm.gov.uk/gowm/Planning/515750/?a=42496 - together with various other pieces of information.
As a result of the letter from the Baroness Andrews the consultation period has been extended to 30 June 2008 to provide an opportunity for consultees to consider this additional evidence when making responses to the draft RSS.
Documents are available for public inspection on the website - West Midlands Regional Assembly - at the Regional Assembly's offices and at principal local authorities and central libraries across the region. Further information can be obtained by telephoning the Regional Assembly on 0121 245 0200 or by e-mail to info@wmra.gov.uk.
Responses on the draft revision should be made on the official response form which can be downloaded from both the GOWM and Regional Assembly websites. Representations of support, objection or comment on the revisions should be submitted on the form by post or e-mail, to be received no later than 30 June 2008 to:
The Panel Secretary, c/o Government Office for the West Midlands, 5 St Philip's Place, Colmore Row, Birmingham B3 2PW: e-mail address - wm.panelsecretary@gowm.gsi.gov.uk.
Pam Perceval-Maxwell, Panel Secretary, WM RSS Phase Two Revision
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