About The Local Plan

A Local Plan sets out a vision and a framework for the future development of the area, addressing needs and opportunities for housing, the economy, community facilities and infrastructure, as well as the basis for conserving and enhancing the natural and historic environment, mitigating and adapting to climate change, and achieving well designed places.

The Local Plan is at the heart of the planning system and provides the framework for all planning decisions to be judged against.

Why are we producing a new Local Plan?

The District’s existing Local Plan consists of the Core Strategy 2010 and the Land Allocations Plan 2015, as well as saved policies from the 2002 Local Plan. The existing Development Plans can be viewed on the Dover District Council Website. The Government has made changes to legislation, policy and guidance since these plans were developed, which means they need to be reviewed and updated.

The Government requires all local authorities to have an up to date local plan in place by December 2023. New Plans can take several years to finalise and so it is important we make progress now. 

What have we done so far?

So far we have:

• Carried out stakeholder workshops which have helped to inform the key issues that the Plan needs to address;
• Developed the evidence which is needed to support the Plan;
• Identified and assessed the different options for delivering the required growth and development;
• Carried out a targeted stakeholder consultation on specific issues to inform the draft plan for consultation;
• Liaised with our neighbouring authorities under the duty to co-operate to agree statements of common ground in relation to cross border issues; and
• Prepared draft policies and proposals which form the basis of this consultation document.

What happens after this consultation?

Following the end of the consultation we will:

• Review and consider all responses received to the consultation and;
• Complete the evidence supporting the plan

Based upon the above we will produce a final draft of the Plan (called a Regulation 19 Submission Plan) which will be subject to further consultation prior to submission for examination. 

The timetable for the Local Plan is:

• Regulation 18 Consultation on the Draft Local Plan: 20th January – 17th March 2021
• Regulation 19 Consultation on the Proposed Submission version of the Local Plan: November – December 2021
• Submission of the Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate: February 2022
• Examination of the Local Plan: June 2022
• Adoption of the Local Plan: February 2023

Further information is set out in the Council’s Local Development Scheme