Local Plan review to start later this year

Last October, the Cabinet agreed for the Local Plan Review to re-start after the work had been paused because of the pandemic. Work has been progressing in the background, and a paper is due to go to the Council’s Cabinet in August to set out how local people can have their say

The Local Plan is a legally required planning document that sets out how the borough should develop over the next 20 years, taking into account things like population estimates and projections, consideration of the types of space available and what they should be used for.

Local Plans are used to help decide on planning applications and other planning related decisions. In effect, they are the local guide to what can be built where, shaping infrastructure investments and determining the future pattern of development in the borough.

The Local Plan needs to be kept up to date with regular reviews to take account of changes in the borough. North East Lincolnshire’s last Local Plan was adopted in 2018, and the revised Local Plan will need to go through several rounds of engagement during its preparation before being submitted to Government for formal examination.

Since the adoption of the current Local Plan, there have been some changes in Government’s planning policy that need to be included, and other changes are due soon, which will also need to be considered. There has also been a reprioritisation of some themes within the Local Plan by central Government (more emphasis on sustainability, different emphasis on use of land etc), that need to be reflected in the document. These themes will be highlighted in the August 2022 Cabinet paper.

Cllr Philip Jackson, leader of North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “Whilst much of the existing plan for our area is working well and doesn’t need revision, we need to make sure that our Local Plan is current and suitable for the needs of our local people. It will help deliver the new homes and jobs we need and safeguard the environmental assets we value.”

The next steps are as follows (indicative dates, subject to change):

• August 2022: Cabinet paper seeking approval to undertake engagement, which will provide the framework for the review
• Sept 2022: commence engagement
• 2023 to 2024: Draft Local Plan is developed. Two iterative rounds of statutory consultation on the Draft Local Plans.
• Late 2024: Submission to the Secretary of State for formal examination
• Early 2025: New Local Plan adopted

Further detail on the timeframe for the local plan review, setting out the key milestones for future consultation will be confirmed when information from Government has been clarified and once the initial piece of engagement has been completed later this year.

ENDS

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