Derbyshire Dales District Council has reminded local people of the timescales attached to its ongoing review of the Derbyshire Dales Local Plan.
Originally adopted in 2017, the current Plan sets out the overall vision and objectives, along with policies and proposals for the future development of those parts of the district that lie outside the Peak District National Park for the period 2013-2033.
Local planning authorities are legally obliged to review Local Plans within five years from their adoption date to ensure that policies remain relevant and effectively address the needs of the local community. In the Derbyshire Dales, that process has been ongoing since 2020, and has involved public consultation on Growth Options and revised evidence on housing needs and land availability in November 2022, as well consultation in May 2024 on a new approach to housing, setting out how the district's population will change in the future and what that might mean for the number of new homes we need to plan for.
The on-going revision process will include an assessment of all sites proposed for residential and commercial development. Two further public consultations on the revised Plan are scheduled next year, one in January 2026, and a second later in the year before the Plan is submitted to the Secretary of State in December 2026 and independently assessed by the Planning Inspectorate, with hopefully adoption in September 2027.
A District Council spokesperson said:
"While completion of the review of our Local Plan remains a key priority, the necessary process is both lengthy and challenging, and this would be the same for a revised plan where only one change was sought. The Planning Inspectorate would still require us to specify how it was going to meet the government-imposed housing targets. This means the Plan review process can't be significantly short circuited as local authorities have to follow legal and nationally determined processes and procedures.
"The District Council is, however, committed to building thriving and sustainable communities throughout the Derbyshire Dales. The Local Plan is one of the instruments it will use to do so. The Council has ambitions to ensure that the towns and villages across the Plan Area are sustainable and flourishing, ensuring that the new homes that need to be provided are distributed across all the settlements. The intention being that the needs of younger families and the retention of services and facilities are met."
- Further information about the Local Plan on our website
