New Local Plan
The Council is developing a new Local Plan. The document is like a blueprint for future development so that inevitable change can be managed carefully and thoughtfully. The Plan can also help us tackle Climate Change and improve biodiversity. The current Local Plan dates back to 1994 - it is one of the oldest in the country and needs to be replaced.
Main Modifications Consultation - New Draft Local Plan April 2026
The new draft Local Plan was submitted, on 29th November 2024, to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination which is being carried out on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This is in accordance with Regulation 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) “the Local Plan Regulations”. A consultation on Main Modifications to the Local Plan under Regulation 24 of the Local Plan Regulations commenced on Monday 13th April 2026. Accordingly, the emerging Local Plan now has significant weight in decision making, with its policies being an important material consideration.
Paragraph 49 in the NPPF (2024) sets out that Local Planning Authorities may give weight to relevant policies in emerging plans according to:
- the stage of preparation of the emerging plan (the more advanced its preparation, the greater the weight that may be given);
- the extent to which there are unresolved objections to relevant policies (the less significant the unresolved objections, the greater the weight that may be given); and
- the degree of consistency of the relevant policies in the emerging plan to this Framework (the closer the policies in the emerging plan to the policies in the Framework, the greater the weight that may be given)
The Main Modifications versions of the new draft Local Plan Part A and Part B (April 2026) and the draft Policies Map (April 2026) can be found below:
