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New Local Plan
The Local Plan is the key land use planning document for Cheshire West and Chester. It will help decide things like the most sustainable places for homes, shops and workplaces to be built, and how to protect the Green Belt, open space and the natural and historic environment.
The new plan will be a single Local Plan document that will update and replace the policies in the current Local Plan (Part One) and Local Plan (Part Two), and will set out how much development is needed in the borough. It may also allocate new sites for development.
Changes to the planning system
The Council has decided to move to the Government’s new plan making system for preparing the Local Plan.
This follows a number of national changes, including updated planning policy, higher housing targets, and a revised timetable for introducing the new system. The Government has also confirmed that plans under the current system must now be submitted by 31 December 2026.
After reviewing the risks of meeting this deadline, the Council considers that progressing under the new system provides a more robust and reliable approach.
Work will now continue under the new process, which includes a series of formal consultation stages. There will be further opportunities for residents, businesses and stakeholders to have their say. We will contact everyone who has asked to be kept informed, and will publish updates on this page as work progresses.
Notice of intention to commence Local Plan preparation and timetable
The first step in the system is to publish our notice of intention to commence Local Plan preparation and a timetable for preparation of the Local Plan. These provide communities and other stakeholders with advance notice of plan‑making so they understand when and how they can get involved in preparing the new Local Plan.
Our original plan‑making timetable (known as the Local Development Scheme) has been replaced to ensure we meet the new legal requirements.
Previous consultation
Thank you to everyone who took part in our Issues and Options consultation last year.
Your feedback has already helped to identify key issues and opportunities, improve our evidence base, and highlight where further technical work is needed
All comments have been summarised, shared with councillors, and published here.