Local Plan issues and options frequently asked questions

What is a Local Plan?

A Local Plan is a legal document which sets out the future land use and planning policies for an area over a set period of time. Councils are legally required to

Why are we updating our local plan already when it covers the period to 2031?

Councils are legally required to review a Local Plan at least every five years. Our Local Plan was adopted in June 2019, and therefore June 2024 is the latest possible date we can review the current plan.

In December 2022, the council concluded that, based on a review of policies, there is a need to update the Local Plan.

We think there has been substantial enough change both in national policy and circumstance, and local priorities, to justify an update of policies in the plan, with a view to ensuring it helps us deliver for the needs of our communities.  

For example, since the adoption of the current Local Plan, Rugby Borough Council has declared a climate emergency, and we think there is scope for the Local Plan review to help us tackle climate change.

What will happen to the current local plan during the process?

The current Local Plan remains the adopted policy position until the update is complete and a revised plan is adopted by the council. 

When and how can people have their say on the new local plan?

Community and stakeholder involvement is extremely important in developing the new plan, and there will be a number of opportunities for people to contribute at various stages of the process.

You can have your say on the ‘issues and options’ we suggest should form the basis of the plan during a public consultation which runs from 30 October 2023 to 2 February 2024.

After this, further opportunities to have your say will occur throughout the plan update process. Information will be published online at www.rugby.gov.uk/localplan, where you can also sign-up to be kept informed.

What is the process for the Local Plan review?

There is a statutory process that the preparation and review of Local Plans has to comply with.

General guidance on plan-making is available on the Government website.

Visit The Government Website For More Information On General Plan-Making Guidance 

What is the role of elected councillors in the Local Plan update?

Local councillors are responsible for making decisions on the new Local Plan at key stages.

Beyond this, councillors are engaged and briefed throughout the process so they can play a key role in the process and in communicating with their communities.

Will the plan update be affected by the proposed reforms to the planning system?

A number of changes are currently proposed to the plan-making system through the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill.  

Linked to this was the most recent Government plan-making reform consultation which ran until 18 October 2023. It is possible that proposed changes, if implemented, could impact the new Local Plan.

However, the Government has advised the proposed reforms should not be seen as an opportunity to pause the preparation of plans to address the development challenges facing local areas.  

Issues and Options consultation

What is the Issues and Options consultation?

Issues and Options is a very early stage of the Local Plan update process.

It seeks to identify ‘issues’ with how the current plan is working in practice, and/or ‘issues’ which we would like the plan to address based on the current situation and evidence, but which it currently doesn’t tackle, or doesn’t tackle sufficiently.

Having identified a number of issues, this stage then considers ‘options’ for how the updated plan might seek to tackle these issues.

The current consultation seeks your views on whether you agree or disagree with the issues we have identified, and whether there are any others you think we should also tackle.  

It also seeks your views on the options for tackling these issues.

Do I need to answer all questions in the Issues and Options consultation?

Not if you don’t want to or don’t feel able to.  We welcome any feedback you want to provide on any aspect of the ‘Issues and Options’.

Can I comment on an issue/topic not covered in the consultation?

Absolutely. We are keen to hear of any issues you think we may have overlooked. 

What will happen to my response to this consultation?

Each representation will be read and carefully considered. A summary of the feedback and how we are responding to comments will be published after the consultation.

Representations will be taken into account in the preparation of the new plan, along with national policy and the evidence base.

Call for Sites

What is a Call for Sites?

A ‘Call for Sites’ gives landowners and agents the opportunity to put forward land for development or redevelopment.  

This is important to the plan-making process as it is likely we will need to identify land to tackle some of the issues we have identified in the consultation.

Why are you doing a Call for Sites now?

It is likely that some of the issues we have identified in the Issues and Options will require the allocation of new sites/land to meet the borough’s needs.  

For example, we may need land for renewable energy generation, employment land or housing. It is therefore helpful for us to know at an early stage where land might become available for different uses.  

Submission of land in the Call for Sites does not mean it will be included in the revised plan. The availability of land will be considered alongside other evidence.

How will submitted sites be considered?

All land parcels submitted through the call for sites will be individually screened and assessed.  We will look at physical conditions and constraints such as access, flood risk and relationship to its surroundings.

We will also consider how land might contribute to the development strategy of the Local Plan and when it might become available.

Neighbourhood planning and the Local Plan update

Will an adopted neighbourhood plan need to be updated once the new Local Plan is in place?

There will not be a requirement to do so. However, if neighbourhood plan policies conflict with updated Local Plan policies, they may become out of date for a neighbourhood plan area if they were adopted before the revised Local Plan is adopted.

Where this is the case, the most recent adopted plan takes precedence. This would not necessarily mean that the whole of the neighbourhood plan is out of date, but may impact specific policies that are superseded by Local Plan policies.

Can a new neighbourhood plan come forward during the Local Plan update?

A new neighbourhood plan can be developed during the preparation of the updated Local Plan. We will work closely with neighbourhood planning groups to ensure there are no conflicts between neighbourhood plan policies and updated or additional policies in the revised Local Plan.

Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA)

What is a HEDNA?

A HEDNA is a key piece of the evidence base for the Local Plan update.  

It is an independent assessment of likely future needs for housing and employment land, taking account of the needs of households (in this case using data from the 2021 census) and the economic potential of Rugby borough.

Our latest HEDNA was jointly commissioned with all local authorities across Coventry and Warwickshire, and has informed the 'issues and options' we have put forward for consultation.  

Download the Coventry and Warwickshire HEDNA

Why do we need to produce a HEDNA?

Understanding the housing and economic needs of Rugby borough is key to having a sound Local Plan.  

Inevitably, in updating our Local Plan, there will be debate about whether - and what - further development should take place. Some will think there should be more growth, some will think there should be less.  

The HEDNA provides a robust independent, evidence-based assessment for the boroughs and districts across Coventry and Warwickshire.