New District Local Plan
We are in the process of producing a new Local Plan. The Local Plan covers the period from 2018 to 2038 and will set out the key policies for the district. Once adopted, the Local Plan will replace the current suite of Development Plan documents.
The Local Plan will shape the future development of the district's towns and villages between now and 2038. It will identify:
- new homes
- new jobs and business premises
- open spaces
- community facilities for people to use
- infrastructure such as roads
- schools
- healthcare
Timetable
The timetable for the preparation of the Local Plan is set out below:
- Evidence gathering – ongoing to December 2019
- Consultation on draft Local Plan (Regulation 18) – January to March 2020
- Review and finalise Local Plan - March to December 2020
- Consultation on proposed submission version of the Local Plan (Regulation 19) - January to March 2021
- Local Plan Examination – June 2021
- Adoption of Local Plan – January 2022
Key Documents
Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment
The Council is currently undertaking a Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) to support the preparation of the new Local Plan for the District. The purpose of the HELAA is to identify a future supply of land in the District which is suitable, available and achievable for housing and economic development
As part of the HELAA the Council undertook a call for sites in the summer of 2017. Following this, officers have been assessing the suitability of these sites (and others) to determine whether they are eligible to be allocated for housing or employment development in the Local Plan. This work is due to be concluded in the Autumn of 2019.
Sites are being assessed using the HELAA Methodology which is based on guidance in the Planning Practice Guidance and National Planning Policy Framework.
The draft HELAA will be published alongside the draft Local Plan at the beginning of 2020. Until the HELAA is published, we are unfortunately unable to comment on specific sites. However, sites can continue to come forward via the Council's pre-application service.
The deadline for submitting sites to be considered as part of the HELAA has now closed and the Council will now no longer be accepting any new submissions. However, there will be the opportunity to submit further sites to us for consideration as part of the consultation on the draft Local Plan in January 2020.
Community Engagement
A number of community engagement events have been held to inform the preparation of the Local Plan. The findings of these events are available to view below:
Contact
Email regenerationdelivery@dover.gov.uk
Tel: 01304 872477
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