New Local Plan

We’re starting work on a new Local Plan that will shape the future of East Herts - guiding how we plan for homes, jobs, infrastructure and the environment.

Background

Planning Authorities are required to complete a review of their local plans at least once every five years to ensure that plans remain relevant and respond to any new social, environmental or economic priorities that may have arisen.

The Council agreed that the East Herts District Plan 2018 needs updating – a key step in shaping the district. The decision can be viewed on our Council meetings page.

We decided to prepare the new Local Plan under the government’s new plan-making system – The Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA). Whilst awaiting the government’s regulations and guidance for this new system, we have been undertaking preparatory and evidence collection work. The Regulations were published at the end of March 2026, allowing formal plan making to commence.

Following the introduction of the new Local Plan Regulations, the Council secured over £108,000 in government funding to support the development of the new Local Plan.

What the new system means for East Herts’ New Local Plan

The government has introduced a new 30-month timescale within which to produce a new Local Plan. Certain tasks must happen in sequence as required by the act.

30-month plan-making process flow chart

The government’s new approach aims to:

  • Make local plans clearer and easier to understand
  • Speed up the process so priorities can be responded to, and progress can happen quicker
  • Strengthen the role of local voices in shaping future development

The first step in this new system is to give notice of intention of commencement. This notice was agreed at Council on 10 June – the Council meeting can be viewed here. The Notice of Intent webpage provides further details.

A timetable for the new Local Plan has been published to set out key dates and steps which we will undertake. This can be viewed here.

Preparatory Work

Before the notice was given, we have been working on preparatory work to build the foundations of the new Plan.

We undertook a Call for Sites – this was an opportunity for landowners, developers, agents, and site promoters to submit sites which may be considered to have potential for future development in the district.

We have developed a draft Strategic Vision to chart a clear and ambitious course for the district’s future which will serve as the golden thread for the new Local Plan, informing policies and decision-making that will shape East Herts in years to come. The public have the opportunity to comment on the draft Vision document as part of the Scoping Consultation.

A Local Plan is informed by clear, relevant and proportionate evidence documents to ensure planning policies and decisions are based on up-to-date information. We have been producing supporting documents covering a range of social, economic and environmental topics to help identify local needs, constraints and opportunities. The Evidence Base will develop throughout the plan making process, with new documents being published on our website.

The Sustainability Appraisal (SA) / Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) are processes which are required to be undertaken alongside the preparation of the Plan. A Scoping Report has been produced as the first stage in the SA/ SEA process. This report identifies current conditions and likely future trends of the district. This information leads to a number of objectives which create a framework that will be used to test the policies and site options in the Local Plan as it emerges.

How to be involved

Plan-making involves a number of key consultations where we reach out to the public and our key stakeholders to help us shape the future direction and contents of the Plan.

The first opportunity is an early public engagement called the Scoping Consultation. This is open for comments from 11 June to 10 July 2026.

More information and details of open consultations can be viewed here.

To stay in the loop with any plan-making news, please sign up to the East Herts Planning Newsletter and Database via this webpage.

How will Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) affect the Local Plan?

The government are actively encouraging the production of new Local Plans to ensure that the system remains proactive and plan-led.

The county of Hertfordshire is currently subject to Local Government Review proposals which will see the ten current district and borough councils being redrawn into two, three or four unitary authorities. It is probable that by the end of the thirty-month plan-making process, East Herts District Council will not exist. However, the current government advice is to continue with plan-making, not least so successor authorities have up to date evidence with which to continue plan-making.  East Herts Council has resolved to continue preparing a new Local Plan and are working alongside neighbouring authorities and tracking their progress where possible.

What happens next?

The timetable can be found here, which sets out the stages through the coming 30 months. The Local Plan must pass through Gateway 1 in October 2026 as the next step.

How do I stay informed?

Please sign up to our Planning Newsletter and Database to receive emails regarding plan-making updates and invites to comment on the draft Plan.

Updates will also be provided on these Council webpages and via the Council’s social media accounts.

Call for Sites

The Call for Sites is currently closed as we review submissions and assess them to produce a SLAA report. We anticipate that there will be future opportunities to submit further sites in the due course. There is further information about the Call for Sites here.

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