The Local Plan is a tool that helps to shape housing, the local economy, community facilities and infrastructure for the city. It sets out the city council’s strategy for growth up until 2036, as well as helping to conserve and enhance the city’s natural and historic environment.
It’s the end of the process for Leicester’s plan, which has already been examined by the Government’s Planning Inspectorate. To get to this stage, five consultations and five weeks of public hearings and debate were held to allow local residents and businesses to have their say on the plan and the modifications made to it.
Once adopted, a city’s Local Plan confirms how planning policies, regulations and supporting documents should be applied. It sets out where development should be allowed to take place, along with quality design and construction standards against which new developments will be tested.
City mayor Peter Soulsby said: “The Local Plan is a comprehensive set of new policies that set out standards for Leicester in terms of quality of development, design, and environmental ambition.
“New site allocations in the Local Plan will facilitate the delivery of new homes and jobs for Leicester, as well as the infrastructure that is needed alongside such provision – schools and health facilities, for example.
“While developing the plan, we have encountered many changes of Government policy, the covid-19 pandemic and a 35% increase in our housing target. Thanks to joint working with our neighbouring districts, we have secured agreement for around 50% of our housing need to be allocated outside of the city.”
For full details, please see the Adopted Planning Policy webpage.