Part 13: General Schedule 7: Plan making Section 15AC: Public examination Background
Section 15AC mirrors the equivalent provisions in the GLA Act 1999 (as amended) which are applicable to London. It sets out the procedure for examination of a joint SDS. A joint SDS is examined to assess whether it has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and is consistent with national policy. The person/panel appointed by the Secretary of State to conduct the examination is responsible for deciding which matters need to covered, and will report their findings to the participating authorities. The intention is that the examination should provide a non-adversarial opportunity for the discussion and testing in public of the justification for selected policies and proposals; it will not be a hearing of objections, nor need it cover every aspect of the proposals.