You can find out more about the consultation, including where to view the consultation documents online or access hard copies, and how and where to submit your response on our consultation website.

You have the right by law to request that we tell you when the following events happen later in the Local Plan process.

These events are currently planned to take place in a sequence of stages running up to April 2029 when we intend to publish an adopted plan:

1. The publication of initial advice from the Planning Inspectorate about whether we, based on work done up until that point, will be in a position to produce a draft Local Plan that is likely to meet legal and policy requirements.
2. The publication of the full draft Local Plan for public consultation.
3. The submission of the full draft Local Plan for examination by the Planning Inspectorate, this happens after the public consultation.
4. The publication of the date, time, and venue, and name of the examining inspector (or ‘matters’), for the examination hearings sessions.
5. Any decision taken by the examining planning inspector to ‘pause’ or put the examination on hold after it has begun but before the process is completed. This stage would happen if we need to do significant further work on the plan due to issues highlighted during the examination hearings.
6. The publication of the further work we have been asked to do by the examining inspector if the Local Plan examination has been halted.
7. The publication of the final report of the inspector into the draft Local Plan following completion of the examination hearings.
8. The final adoption of the Local Plan.

If you would like to receive updates on any or all of these events, sign up to our planning, policy and consultation mailing list.