IPe Team

Stephen J Pratt

Resume

BA (Hons) MRTPI. Stephen spent 33 years as one of the longest serving inspectors with the Planning Inspectorate.

During this time, he was responsible for examining over 20 development plans, including Core Strategies, Minerals & Waste Plans, Site Allocation Plans, Area Action Plans and Community Infrastructure Levy plans. Stephen was amongst the first inspectors to examine the new-style local plans, including some of the most controversial, contentious and challenging local plans, including piloting the Cheshire East Local Plan Strategy through its 3-year examination period.

Other major plans have included the Bradford, Blackburn, Hyndburn, Shropshire and Oxford Core Strategies, Stafford Local Plan, Stroud District Local Plan, and Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Lancashire Minerals & Waste Strategies. These have covered almost all aspects of development planning. Before this, he examined many old-style local plans. Stephen has also dealt with over 900 planning appeals, including hearings and inquiries, covering housing, retail, business, leisure, minerals and waste issues.

He has also undertaken over 50 advisory visits to local planning authorities, advising them on pre-submission procedures and good local plan practice. During his career in the Planning Inspectorate, he has supervised, trained and mentored many inspectors, encouraging them in their careers and advising them on planning matters, including both development plans and minerals and waste issues. He has also given presentations at several seminars and conferences on development planning and minerals and waste matters and advised various technical groups on similar matters.

Before joining the Planning Inspectorate in May 1985, Stephen was employed by several local planning authorities in the West Midlands, including Birmingham City Council, Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council and the former West Midlands County Council.