Revised Canterbury District Local Plan timetable

Revised Canterbury District Local Plan timetable

In July 2024 there was a change in government. On 30 July 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister announced that housebuilding would be at the heart of the new government’s plans and launched a consultation on a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

 

That consultation ends on 24 September and it will take some time for the government to digest the representations it receives before making its final decision on what changes it wants to make.

 

CCC envisages the new NPPF and new Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) will be published in December.

In May next year, CCC will also discover its latest local housing need (LHN) figures which tell CCC what type and mix of housing it needs.

 

All of this means, the 25 June 2025 deadline set by the previous government no longer applies and CCC has been given more time so can adapt its plan in light of the new rules and has more time to prepare additional technical evidence ahead of the Regulation 19 stage.

The council wants to take advantage of the extra time to:

  • digest the feedback it received from the consultation and what it should do about it
  • think carefully, in light of that feedback and numerous other technical considerations, about where in the district the bigger sites (strategic allocations) that are needed to deliver the government’s housing targets should go. (Housing targets are likely to be mandatory and the government has suggested the district’s target needs to go up from 1,142 to 1,178 units per year)
  • keep talking to stakeholders such as Kent County Council, National Highways, Natural England, the Environment Agency, other councils etc
  • continue to assess any potential sites that may come forward
  • make progress on the modelling needed to test the council’s transport strategy is robust
  • ensure its net zero and biodiversity net gain policy ambitions remain as robust as possible

With that in mind, the Cabinet will be asked to approve a new timetable, known as the Local Development Scheme, at its meeting on 30 September. The following key dates are proposed:

  • December 2024 – the government publishes its new NPPF and PPG
  • May 2025 – Local Housing Need figures released
  • Autumn 2025 – publication of final draft for approval by councillors and the launch of a six-week consultation under Regulation 19
  • Spring 2026 – submission of the Regulation 22 Local Plan to the Secretary of State. Planning. The council submits the Local Plan to the Secretary of State together with the representations (any comments) received at the Regulation 19 stage. The Secretary of State will appoint a Planning Inspector to undertake an Independent Examination of the Local Plan. At that point the government will appoint a planning inspector who will arrange an examination in public, a set of public hearings where CCC’s draft will come under scrutiny from the inspector, developers, statutory bodies and the public.
  • Then Inspector’s Report Issued. The Inspector’s Report will say if the Plan is ‘sound’ or ‘not sound’ and whether it is legally compliant. The Inspector may make recommendations on how to make the plan ‘sound’.
  • followed by
  • February 2027-March 2027 – The final stage is for CCC to formally adopt the Local Plan.

Subject to a decision by councillors, the reconvened Councillor Local Plan Working Group will be asked to examine the final draft plan to ensure it is sound before CCC seeks formal approval.

The council had originally planned to release the feedback from the Regulation 18 consultation when it published the final draft local plan early next year. However, now that publication is some time away, the consultation results can now be found on the council’s website. At www.canterbury.gov.uk/regulation18feedback