New Local Plan

November 2024 Update

The timeline for our new Local Plan, which will guide future development across the District, has been updated following a review of Government proposals to change the national planning system.

The Government is planning changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) including compulsory housing targets and changed policies. To make sure our new Plan meets these changes, we now aim to produce the next version, known as the Regulation 19 version, by July 2025.

This version is a full draft that we will consult on, asking residents, businesses and communities their views on proposals for development across the District until 2041.

After public consultation the Local Plan will be put to the Planning Inspectorate for examination by an independent inspector.

Employment Land and Premises Study

We have recently commissioned BE Group to undertake an Employment Land and Premises Study for the District and they would be interested to speak to any local businesses on the subject of future lands needs for business within Blaby District.

The feedback collated from this Study will inform the update of The New Local Plan, in particular around land allocation and policy.

If you are a local business or business owner and would be happy to share your views and answer some questions then please contact Chris Wilson, Principal Regeneration Consultant at BE Group, via email: chriswilson@begroup.uk.com or telephone; 01925 822112 or 07796 866422. 

Background

The New Local Plan will set out a blueprint for how the District will grow and change over the next 15 years and beyond. The New Local Plan, when adopted, will replace the current Local Plan (the Core Strategy and Delivery DPDs).

New Local Plan Options Consultation

The Council consulted on the New Local Plan Options document between Thursday 28 January and Friday 12 March 2021. The consultation is now closed. The consultation took place under the requirements of Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. This is the second consultation on the Local Plan and builds on the one we carried out in Summer 2019.

The consultation focused on three key areas:

• Options for the location of future development. It sets out the direction that the Council expects to take.
• All reasonable site options. These are sites promoted to the Council for built development by landowners, developers and site promoters.
• Initial information about the main policies we expect to include in the Local Plan.

We are considering the comments received and will take them into account when writing the Local Plan. The Local Development Scheme 2020 sets out the timetable for producing the Plan.

The New Local Plan Options document and supporting documents are available to download below. The documents are as follows:

• New Local Plan Options consultation document
• A non-technical summary of the consultation
• Sustainability Appraisal and appendices
• Summary of Duty to Cooperate Engagement and Emerging Statements of Common Ground
• Site Selection Methodology for Housing and Employment Site Options and appendices
• Settlement Audit and Hierarchy Report
• Summary of Representations made to the Local Plan Issues and Options consultation (2019)

Previous Work on the New Local Plan

A 'Call for Sites' exercise was undertaken between March and May 2019 to understand what land interests there are in the District for potential housing, employment, retail or other development uses.

A Regulation 18 consultation on the New Local Plan Issues and Options document took place between June and September 2019.

We have also started collecting technical evidence to inform the overall approach and policy direction of the new Plan.