Decision:

Cabinet:

1.     Approved the publication of the Plymouth Local Plan timetable;

2.     Approved the publication of the Council’s formal ‘Notice of Intention to Commence’ the Plymouth Local Plan before 30 June 2026;

3.     Delegated authority to approve updates to the Local Plan timetable to the Service Director for Strategic Planning & Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning & Transport;

4.     Delegated authority to approve, publish and submit the required documents and statements for statutory Gateways 1, 2 and 3 to the Service Director for Strategic Planning & Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning & Transport.

5.     Delegated authority to approve all evidence documents, reports and supporting data and analysis for publication to the Service Director for Strategic Planning & Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning & Transport.

6.     Delegated authority to deliver the statutory ‘scoping stage’ consultation to the Service Director for Strategic Planning & Infrastructure, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning & Transport;

7.     Instructed Officers to report to Cabinet for approval for the statutory consultation on the proposed local plan content and evidence;

8.     Instructs Officers to report to Cabinet for approval for the statutory consultation on the proposed Plymouth Local Plan;

9.     Instructed officers to report to Cabinet to approve any further changes to the Plymouth Local Plan following the statutory consultation;

10.  Delegated authority to formally submit the proposed Plymouth Local Plan for Independent Examination once Gateway 3 is successfully completed;

11.  Authorised officers to agree a dedicated work programme with the Scrutiny Management Board on the emerging Plymouth Local Plan;

12.  Authorised officers to explore with Devon County Council (and/or successor bodies) the opportunity of fulfilling the City Council’s statutory responsibilities in relation to minerals and waste planning through the preparation of a Joint Minerals and Waste Plan rather than by incorporating waste and minerals policies into the Plymouth Local Plan;

13.  Agreed to the cancellation of the Plymouth and South West Devon Statement of Community Involvement for the purposes of community engagement in planning in Plymouth, with community engagement being undertaken in accordance with the Council’s Engagement and Consultation Framework and the statutory requirements of the Local Plan Regulations.

Alternative options

As the preparation of the new Local Plan is a statutory requirement, the only alternative relates to the timing of when the Local Plan is commenced. The latest which we could formally commence the Local Plan is 6 months later than proposed in the preferred option. This is because the government has set a backstop date for commencement of 31 December 2026, with the first statutory Gateway point being reached by 30 April 2027. From that point is locked into a statutory timetable. Were the plan commencement to be delayed to the latest possible time, the Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) process and the Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) process would be further advanced. However, this option was rejected for a number of reasons, including:

·       The pressing need for the Local Plan to be in place to support wider strategic initiatives, deliver much needed housing given the city’s absence of a Five Year Housing Land Supply.

·       The opportunity to seek government grant funding by committing to commencement by 30 June 2026, having regard to the fact that we would have been legally required to start by December in any case.

·       The fact that our current published local plan timetable identified our start date as January 2026, and we are only later because of the government’s delay in publishing the new Local Plan Regulations.

·       With regard to the LGR process, the government has been clear that this should not delay the preparation of local plans and during the early stages of the process we should know what the government’s LGR proposal is and be able to adapt accordingly. The new local plan process requires regular updates to the timetable to enable adjustments to be made when needed.

·       With regard to SDS process, there is no proposal in place for our part of the south-west region, but as for LGR we will have the opportunity to adapt if and when needed. · To improve our resilience for LGR and SDS, and because it is good strategic planning practice, our evidence base work is considering the broader sub-regional context that Plymouth fits within as well as the city itself. We will therefore be in a good place to expand the scope of the local plan during the process if need be.

Reasons

1.     To meet the requirements for the new plan-making system for local plans prepared and adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, as amended by the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023, and to comply with proposed plan-making regulations that are described in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Plan-making Regulations Explainer, published on 27 November 2025;

2.     To comply with the requirements set out in the Written Ministerial Statement and proposed plan-making regulations that are described in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Plan-making Regulations Explainer, published on 27 November 2025, and to enable the City Council to benefit from potential government funding for local planning authorities that commit to start their local plans by 30 June 2026 and complete Gateway 1 by 31 October 2026;

3.     To reflect the need for possible amendments to the timetable, including where set out in the proposed plan-making regulations as described in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Plan-making Regulations Explainer, published on 27 November 2025, and to be able to respond to any issues arising from the local government reorganisation and spatial development strategy processes;

4.     In order to ensure that the Plymouth Local Plan can be adopted within a 30-month period, as required by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s ‘30-month local plan process: an overview’, published on 27 November 2025;

5.     To ensure the effective and efficient preparation of supporting evidence and material for the Plymouth Local Plan to ensure the overall timetable to adoption can be met;

6.     To ensure that statutory Gateway 1 can be completed 31 October 2026 which is a conditional date for potential government grant funding, and to support the efficient delivery of the local plan programme;

7.     To ensure that there is appropriate political oversight of the proposed content and evidence of the Plymouth Local Plan prior to the statutory consultation stage;

8.     To ensure that there is appropriate political oversight of the proposed Plymouth Local Plan prior to the statutory consultation stage;

9.     To ensure that Cabinet has oversight of any further changes to the content of the Plymouth Local Plan in response to representations received during the period of statutory consultation prior to submission for Independent Examination;

10.  To ensure that the Local Plan is promptly submitted for examination once Gateway 3 is successfully completed in order for the overall 30-month local plan timetable to be achieved;

11.  To ensure detailed scrutiny oversight and consideration at key stages of the local plan programme;

12.  To simplify the preparation of the Plymouth Local Plan in order that it can comply with the mandatory 30-month plan preparation period and to explore opportunities for joint working recognising that minerals and waste issues are more effectively and efficiently planned at a strategic level given that these often transcend current and potentially new local government boundaries;

13.  To ensure that the preparation of the new Plymouth Local Plan reflects the philosophy and approach to community engagement set out in the City Council’s Engagement and Consultation Framework and also complies with the emerging new local plan regulations.