The chairman of the area plan for the east inquiry has called for the plan to be revisited in future years.

Michael Hurley’s report into the inquiry was released on Friday and zones land across the east of the island for development.

The area plan is to designed go cover a ’plan period’ up to 2026, alongside the government’s strategic plan. However, it does not automatically expire in that year, rather there is provision for the plan to continue to ensure continuity between successive development plans.

During the inquiry it was suggested that the area plan may not be revisited until 2029, however within the plan, it is said that the strategic plan review will likely begin in 2021 after that year’s census.

Mr Hurley commented in his report that this would be an opportunity to also a time to look at the area plan.

He said: ’I consider that there should be a corresponding commitment to review the allocations of land for development in the area plan as soon as possible after the strategic plan has been updated, so as to provide comprehensive and coherent planning guidance for the period beyond 2026.’

’The update strategic plan may well contain new policies, for instance to reflect the government’s response to the issue of climate change.

’At present it is not possible to tell how much housing land will be required after 2026.’

Mr Hurley was also critical of the island’s planning system, saying that in the absence of up to date land use allocations, ’planning applications in the east have been decided largely on an ad hoc basis’.

He added: ’In my view, it has been wholly unsatisfactory that neither prospective developers, nor members of the general public, have been able to tell, with any certainty, where particular development proposals are likely to be acceptable to the planning authority, and where they are not.’