Civic Quarter Area Action Plan Examination

The Civic Quarter Area Action Plan was adopted on 25 January 2023. The Examination process is closed.

Background

The purpose of the CQAAP is to guide development and positive change in this key growth location. The AAP area comprises approximately 55 hectares at the heart of Trafford including Trafford Town Hall, the international sporting venue of Lancashire Cricket Club and the old B&Q site. The plans include new homes and offices, enhanced leisure facilities and a new public realm including a processional route between Lancashire Cricket Club and Manchester United, with improved cycle and pedestrian connections. Once adopted the CQAAP will form part of the overall Trafford Development Plan and will be the statutory starting point in the determination of planning applications within the Civic Quarter.

The final iteration of the CQAAP (known as the Regulation 19 version) was consulted upon in January to March 2021. As at previous stages, the consultation exercise sought to engage with local residents, local businesses, landowners, key stakeholders, interest groups and statutory and non-statutory consultees. A number of representations were received and further modifications to the CQAAP were proposed in response.

Submission and Examination

The next stage in the process of adoption of the CQAAP has been its submission to the Secretary of State (for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) for Examination. Submission took place in November 2021 in accordance with a formal decision of the Council’s Planning and Development Management Committee. The documents submitted include the CQAAP, the representations received, and proposed key modifications.

The Examination process will be led by an independent Inspector appointed by the Planning Inspectorate.

Examination News and Updates

The latest news and updates regarding the Examination will be posted here. The most recent items will appear at the top with older items below.

  • 16 January 2023 – The CQAAP is scheduled to be adopted by the Council by the end of January 2023.
  • 6 December 2022 – The Inspector’s Report regarding the Examination of the Civic Quarter Area Action Plan has been received by the Council. The Inspector has concluded that the Plan is sound and capable of adoption, subject to Main Modifications being incorporated. A hard copy of the Report and the final schedule of Main Modifications is available to view at Trafford Town Hall, Talbot Road, Stretford M32 0TH.
  • 5 September 2022 – The consultation on the Main Modifications has now closed. Representations received will now be sent to the Inspector.
  • 14 July 2022 – A seven week period of formal consultation on the proposed Main Modifications to the Civic Quarter Area Action Plan commences. A new consultation webpage has been set up which includes a link to a new questionnaire. 
  • 23 May 2022 – The inspector invited representors to comment on the implications of the appeal decision relating to the former B&Q site on Great Stone Road. Three responses have been received and added to the examination library (K05, K06, K07).
  • 13 May 2022 – Two documents have been added to the Examination documents section of this webpage - an appeal decision relating to the former B&Q site on Great Stone Road (J56) and a letter to the Inspector from the Council in relation to this appeal decision (J57).
  • 3 May 2022 – A number of documents have been added to the Examination documents section of this webpage following the closing of the hearing sessions.
  • 8 April 2022 – A Statement of Common Ground has been signed by the Council and Derwent Development Management Ltd (on viability matters). This can be viewed in the library as J23.
  • 6 April 2022 – A Statement of Common Ground has been signed by the Council and Derwent Development Management Ltd (on planning matters). This can be viewed in the library as J22.
  • 1 April 2022 – A Statement of Common Ground has been signed by the Council and Lancashire County Cricket Club. This can be viewed in the library as J21.
  • 25 March 2022 – The Council has sent a letter to the inspector formally requesting he recommend modifications to the Plan where necessary as part of the examination process. This can be viewed in the Examination Library as J31.
  • 18 March 2022 – The inspector has issued a revised Hearing Sessions programme. This can be viewed in the Examination Library as INS 04.

  • 15 March 2022 – Hearing Statements have been received in response to the Inspector's Matters, Issues and Questions Discussion Note. These can be viewed in the Hearing Statements section below.

  • 31 January 2022 – The Examination hearings will commence on Tuesday 5 April 2022. Details are set out in the Formal Notice of Examination. The inspector has issued his Matters, Issues and Questions Discussion Note and a Guidance Note for participants. These can be viewed in the Examination Library as INS 01 and INS 02respectively. See Hearing Sessions section for more information.

  • 26 November 2021 – Submission of the CQAAP to the Secretary of State.

The Inspector

The Secretary of State has appointed Mike Fox BA(HONS) DIPTP MRTPI to conduct the independent Examination into whether the Civic Quarter Area Action Plan is sound and complies with all the legal requirements. The criteria for soundness are whether the Plan's policies are positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy.

Programme Officer

Carmel Edwards has been appointed as the Programme Officer for the Examination and will deal with all procedural and administrative matters. She is independent from the Council and will report directly to the Inspector. Ms Edwards is responsible for the day to day organisation of the Examination and will act as a channel of communication between the Inspector and all parties, including Council officers and representors. All correspondence or queries relating to the Examination should be directed to the Programme Officer.

Contact details: Ms Carmel Edwards
c/o Trafford Town Hall, Talbot Road, Stretford M32 0TH
Mobile: 07969 631930
Email: programmeofficer@carmeledwards.com

Hearing Sessions

The inspector held a series of public hearings as part of the examination process. Details are set out in the Formal Notice of Examination.

The hearings opened on Tuesday 5 April 2022 at 10am. They were held in the Council Chamber in Trafford Town Hall.

The inspector issued a revised programme of the hearing sessions, which can be viewed in the Examination Library as INS 04. The sessions were open to the public to view.

Examination Library

The CQAAP and supporting documents submitted to the Secretary of State in November 2021 and other documents, statements and correspondence relevant to the Examination, can be viewed via the links contained in the dropdowns below.

Those downloads with the icon may not be suitable for users of assistive technology. If you need documents in accessible PDF format you can email us at development.management@trafford.gov.uk or call us on 0161 912 3149. We’ll consider your request and get back to you as soon as possible.

Examination documents

Hearing Statements

Hearing Statements are listed by the matter to which they relate below.

Information about the Examination process, this page includes the Procedure Guide for Local Plan Examinations which provides practical guidance on the Examination process for all participants.

Privacy and data protection: The Council

Any responses received to consultations regarding the CQAAP will be held electronically for the purposes of meeting the Council’s duties arising from reporting consultations. Consultation responses will be made public but your personal data will not be made public.

Consultation responses and your personal data will be passed to the Planning Inspectorate and the Programme Officer. The Programme Officer may contact you using the personal information you have provided.

If you wish to have your details removed from the planning policy consultation list at any time contact civicquarterplan@trafford.gov.uk. By remaining on the consultation list you consent to the Council holding your name, contact details and where relevant, organisation name in order to be contacted solely for future consultations on planning policy and related matters. Your details are held electronically and will not be passed on to any third parties for marketing purposes.

For more information visit the privacy statement.

Privacy and data protection: The Planning Inspectorate

For more information visit the Planning Inspectorate’s privacy statement.