Draft local plan on track for publication and consultation period to be extended

The council has also announced that it plans to extend its public consultation on the draft plan beyond the six-week statutory minimum to an eight-week period to give local residents, businesses and local groups plenty of time to read and respond to the draft plan.
 
The Government announced its response to the recent National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation before Christmas 2024. As Harborough District Council was at an advanced stage with its draft local plan, the council is able to continue with its plan-making under the old NPPF and previous housing numbers. 
 
The draft local plan will go to Cabinet on 20 February 2025 and subject to it being approved by Cabinet, it will go to Council on 3 March 2025.
 
If Council agree, the draft local plan will then move to an eight-week public consultation in March 2025.
 
Cllr Galton, Cabinet lead for Planning, said: “As a result of difficult decisions made by the Council at the end of 2023 around progression of the Local Plan, and ensuring adequate resources, the council has made excellent progress and will be publishing the draft local plan for Cabinet on 12 February 2025 for Cabinet to consider recommending the plan to council for consideration for public consultation. 
 
“While the amount of new housing to build in the district has increased due to the changes made by Government, the new draft local plan has managed to accommodate over 80% of the new annual requirements and therefore can progress under the Government’s current framework and housing targets under transitional arrangements. This will place the council in a strong position to manage growth in the medium to long term. It is therefore even more important that the council adopts its new local plan to re-establish full protection for our beautiful district from unwanted, and potentially unsustainable speculative development.”