Members of DLP and SPRU made appearances at the Rotherham part 2 Local Plan: Sites and Policies Examination in Public to highlight the ongoing vacuum in terms of an Objectively Assessed Need for the Sheffield and Rotherham Housing Market Area as required by the Core Strategy.

It was also argued that the assumptions regarding the contribution from allocated and committed sites would be insufficient to meet the Core Strategy Housing requirement and that the late information submitted by the Council did not resolve this issue. Also called into question was the Council’s approach to their Sustainability Appraisal, in which deficiencies in its legal compliance were identified and the Council’s approach to Green Belt and Safeguarded land, where a case for releasing safeguarded sites now was presented.