On the 1st April 2021 the eight existing councils in Northamptonshire were abolished and replaced by the two new councils of North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. This means that Planning in Northamptonshire is now handled by the two new unitary authorities: West Northamptonshire serves the areas of Daventry District, Northampton and South Northants, and; North Northamptonshire serves Wellingborough, Kettering, Corby and East Northants. Current Local Plans in Northamptonshire include: North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy The North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy was adopted on the 14th July 2016. This is a Part 1 Local Plan for Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough.   For more information click here. The Part 2 Local Plan for Corby was formally adopted in September 2021. The Plan and supporting documents are available here. The East Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2 was submitted to the Secretary of State in March 2021. The Secretary of State has [...]

2022 Q2 has been the launch of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which includes reforms to Planning which seek to improve the Planning process. Some latest news and updates are set out in our quarterly update below: National Planning The Levelling Up, and Regeneration Bill was published on 11 May 2022 and as drafted includes a number of changes to the planning process including: The introduction of National Development Management Policies set by central Government; Greater weight to the development plan in decision making; Removal of requirement for five-year housing land supply in areas with up-to-date Local plans; Amendment to the periods for enforcement – proposing ten years for all breaches; The government are expecting to launch a document in July setting out how they intend to change National Planning Policy; The latest indications from the Government is that the Oxford-Cambridge Arc is now considered a pan-regional partnership [...]

The Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority is made up of eight founding members across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. In 2016, all eight organisations agreed to pursue the devolution deal made with Central Government and the first official meeting of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority took place in March 2017.  The Authority have prepared a non-statutory Strategic Spatial Framework which defines their immediate priorities for sustainable growth. Local government is divided between Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council, which is a separate unitary authority. Under the county council, there are five district councils, Cambridge City Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, East Cambridgeshire District Council, Huntingdonshire District Council and Fenland District Council. The current Strategic Planning position in Cambridgeshire is as follows: Peterborough City Council The Peterborough Local Plan was adopted on 24 July 2019. This is a statutory Local Plan which sets out the overall approach to development in Peterborough to 2036 and beyond. Cambridgeshire County Council In [...]

Planning in Buckinghamshire offers great opportunities due to its location with Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east and Hertfordshire to the east, together with its position in the Oxford to Cambridge (OxCam) Arc. Buckinghamshire is one of the home counties with towns such as High Wycombe, Amersham, Chesham and the Chalfonts in the east and southeast of the county forming some of the most densely populated parts of the county. Development in this region is restricted by the Metropolitan Green Belt and the Chilterns AONB. Other large settlements include the county town of Aylesbury, Marlow in the south near the Thames and Princes Risborough in the west near Oxford. The areas around the old county town of Buckingham and near Olney in the northeast, are much less populous. The largest town is Milton Keynes in the northeast, which [...]

Suffolk County Council are responsible for planning for minerals, waste, and county council developments such as schools and fire stations. Current Local Plans in Suffolk include: Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Council Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils are working towards a new Joint Local Plan to replace their separately adopted Local Plan documents. The Babergh and Mid Suffolk Joint Local Plan was formally submitted to the Secretary of State for independent Examination in March 2021. Following a recommendation from the Examination Inspectors the Councils are now progressing the current Joint Local Plan (JLP) as a 'Part 1' local plan. This will be followed by the preparation and adoption of a 'Part 2' local plan as soon as possible. The Councils are currently working on the outstanding matters raised by the inspectors during the examination and  main modifications. Further details will be added to the Councils website in due course. [...]

Woburn Abbey has been the family home of the Earls and Dukes of Bedford for nearly 400 years. Planning in Bedfordshire is administered by three unitary authorities: Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, after Bedfordshire County Council was abolished in 2009. The current Strategic Planning position in Bedfordshire is as follows: Bedford Borough The Local Plan 2030 was adopted in January 2020 and sets out how much growth there should be in the borough (housing, jobs and associated infrastructure) up to 2030 and where it should take place. In some settlements the Council is now looking to Neighbourhood Plans to allocate housing sites, generally in and around the defined Settlement Policy Area boundaries. The Bedford Borough Allocations and Designations Local Plan was adopted in July 2013 and covers the period until 2021.  The Plan identifies sites for development to meet the Council’s needs to 2021. A number of other supplementary documents form the basis [...]