A consultation on the first draft of the new Local Plan ran from 30th April until 23rd July 2024. The new Local Plan will outline the vision, strategies, and policies to guide development decisions until 2040. When adopted, the Plan’s policies will be used to determine planning applications. The Plan addresses climate emergency responses, housing, economic, community, and infrastructure needs while protecting landscapes, habitats, and heritage.

Key priorities of the new Local Plan are ‘Green to the Core’ and ‘Live Well Locally’. The development strategy covers the entire district and five sub-areas, focusing on networks of towns and villages. It is supplemented by Neighbourhood Plans, empowering communities to develop localized visions and policies.

The Rother Labour Group of Councillors has now submitted its response to this first (Regulation 18) draft and looks forward to seeing how our suggestions influence the next stage of the drafting process. You can read our submission HERE. The next stage will be the ‘Regulation 19’ draft which will go out for formal consultation in early 2025.