Local Plan Update
Work on the Wyre Local Plan has been underway since 2022, including early scoping work and public consultations to identify the key issues the plan should address. The council carried out an Issues and Options consultation in 2024 and has been developing the technical evidence needed to support a draft plan and the expanded scope to meet the increase in housing targets set by Government. However, national planning reforms have since accelerated and the Government has introduced a new national system for preparing local plans.
Under the Government’s transitional arrangements, any Local Plan being prepared under the current system must be submitted for examination by 31 December 2026. The council’s current published timetable cannot meet this deadline and shortening the process would lead to significant inadequacies in the supporting evidence base and meaningful public engagement.
Instead, the council will move to preparing a new Local Plan under the updated national system, which is designed to be simpler, faster and more consistent across the country. Although this means the Preferred Options consultation planned for early 2026 will not go ahead, much of the work already completed will be carried forward into the new process. While the new system includes a mandatory 30‑month timetable, the council will use the coming months to strengthen the evidence base before formally starting this process, ensuring the new Local Plan is robust, up‑to‑date and shaped by community engagement.
Before the council can formally begin preparing a new Local Plan under the updated national system, we are required by Government regulations to give a minimum of four months’ public notice. We expect to issue this formal notice and publish a new Local Plan timetable setting out the key stages of the process later this year.
Further information
If you have any queries, please contact the planning policy team on:
Email: planning.policy@wyre.gov.uk
Telephone: 01253 881000