The Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, is due to make a decision over the future of Barton Farm over the coming weeks, and the Inspector has confirmed that this ruling will need to be taken as 'key material consideration' in terms of Pitt Manor.
A spokesman for the Inspectorate said: "[The] Inspector faces a choice: the first option is that he opens the inquiry, hears such evidence as he can and then adjourns, resuming when the Secretary of State's decision is available. The alternative is that the opening of the inquiry is postponed until after the Secretary of State's decision has been published.
"A key difficulty in the former lies in the fact that, depending upon the Secretary of State's decision, there is a significant risk that new evidence would need to be prepared and heard. That does not seem at all satisfactory, so the Inspector proposes to follow the second option. We would anticipate that this means that the inquiry could now open in late September / early October."
Campaigners are now working to find new dates in the autumn and are keen to notify as many local residents of the update as possible.
Pictured; Steve at the Pitt Manor site with then-Cllr James Stephens
More information...
Local MP Steve Brine has been closely involved in Pitt Manor, and you can find one of his press releases at http://www.stevebrine.com/media/media-releases/pitt-manor-permission-refused/690.
If you wish to be added to the Pitt Manor Development distribution list, which is entirely confidential, contact email Sandie Vining at [email protected].