Reports on Local Plan and Leicester’s unmet housing need to be discussed by councillors next Monday

The reports were due to be discussed at a Full Council meeting on 11 December 2023 but were moved to an adjourned meeting following a letter from MP Neil O’Brien to Cllr Knowles which requested a delay due to changes to the government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that was understood to be due for announcement on Tuesday 12 December 2023.

The NPPF has still not been published and it appears it has been pushed back to at least next week by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), the council understands.

Cllr Knowles, Leader of Harborough District Council said: "I was very happy to support Neil O'Brien MP's request to pause the debate and decisions at Full Council on the items relating to the local plan until we had seen the new planning policy document. I’ve said all along that decisions the council will take will be based upon facts and evidence available. However, the delay to the expected publication means that we really need to make a decision now and decide what is our preferred way forward based on the evidence presented to us by officers, planning specialists and King's Counsel. I would urge anyone that wishes to understand more detail on this matter to read the Frequently Asked Questions document which can be found on our website. I also re-iterate the point that no decisions have yet been made and all members will attend on Monday night with an open mind.”

The reports that moved to the adjourned meeting are:

Item 12 Harborough Local Plan - Leicester and Leicestershire Statement of Common Ground, relating to housing and employment land needs

Item 13 Local Plan - The Issues and Options consultation

Item 14 Local Development Scheme Update

Item 15 The new Local Plan Resources.

The meeting can be watched online by visiting https://cmis.harborough.gov.uk/cmis5/Meetings.aspx and clicking on the date of the meeting on the calendar. This link will be live on the evening.