Overview of the Local Plan

Our consultation on areas of potential growth and development for housing and employment across the city, market towns and rural areas will run from Monday 13 June to Friday 29 July 2022.

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The new Local Plan will ensure that we deliver the required housing, alongside the jobs, and supporting community infrastructure and services in a way that is appropriate for the rural nature and historic character of the County. It will do this not only by setting out the distribution of new development across Herefordshire but also by setting out a number of policies to help guide the details of new development proposals. 

Background Information

Following a review of the Core Strategy 2011-2031 and the decision in November 2020 that an update is required, preparation of the Local Plan 2021-2041 which will replace the Core Strategy is underway. The new document will help shape growth and development across the county up until 2041, ensuring that we deliver the required housing, alongside the jobs, infrastructure and services to support growth in a way that is appropriate for the rural and historic character of the County.

Vision and Objectives

We have prepared a new draft vision for how planning will help to shape the county over the next 20 years. This helps to paint a picture of what the county will be like in 2041, the end of the updated plan period. The vision is positive and aspirational, but is considered to be realistic. 

The vision is supplemented by a more detailed set of objectives which are split into three sections of Environment, Community and Economy, in line with the County Plan. 

We invited feedback on The Vision and Objectives as part of the recent Spatial Options consultation. Therefore they are subject to some changes. View the draft version and information from the consultation in the Documents Library.

Background Studies and Next Steps

Some of the evidence that underpins the current Local Plan requires updating. Therefore a number of new studies, will be completed to inform the local plan update.

Among the studies will be the following:

Environmental - Climate Change Study, natural environment studies, Water Cycle Study, Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA), built environment and design studies, Habitat Regulations Assessment and Sustainability Assessment. 

Social - Transport Studies, sports facilities strategies, Housing Market Needs Assessment (HMANA), Gypsy and Traveller Needs Assessment, Rural Settlement Hierarchy.

Economic - Employment Land Requirements Study, Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA), Town Centre and Retail Assessment, Economic Viability Assessment.