Shropshire Council is at an advanced stage of a Local Plan Review. This review has been undertaken for a number of reasons, including:

• Local planning authorities, such as Shropshire Council, have a statutory responsibility to maintain an up-to-date Local Plan, and national policy indicates that Local Plans should be regularly reviewed, with the expectation this is done at least every five years. This Local Plan Review therefore responds positively to this requirement
• It allows for the consideration of updated information on development needs within the county
• It allows the opportunity to reflect changes to national policy and our local strategies
• It allows for the Plan period to be extended to 2038
• It allows the opportunity to help support growth, by generating certainty for investment in local development and infrastructure through a policy framework that establishes an up to date and objective assessment of development needs and supports sustainable development in Shropshire during the period to 2038
• Will help maintain local control over planning decisions during the period to 2038

Under government’s ‘plan-led’ approach to development, the Local Plan is a key component of the overall Development Plan for the area, and should provide a positive strategy to enable an area to grow in a sustainable manner.

Draft Shropshire Local Plan (2016 – 2038)

The draft Shropshire Local Plan (2016 – 2038) represents an advanced and fully formed version of the Local Plan. It identifies a vision and framework for the future development of Shropshire to 2038; addresses needs and opportunities in relation to housing, the local economy, community facilities and infrastructure; and seeks to safeguard the environment, enable adaptation to climate change and helps to secure high-quality and accessible design. It contains:

• Draft strategic policies which set the priorities and framework for the Local Plan.
• Draft ‘strategic’ implementation policies and more ‘detailed’ draft policies for managing development
• Draft settlement policies which provide draft strategies and draft guidelines for the settlements of Shropshire, including where appropriate identifying draft proposed site allocations
• Draft strategic settlement and draft strategic site policies which identify these draft proposed sites and provide draft strategies and draft guidelines for their development

Examination

The decision to submit the plan for examination was made at a meeting of the full council on 15 July 2021.

The draft Shropshire Local Plan (2016 – 2038) was subsequently submitted to the Secretary of State for examination on 3 September 2021.

The secretary of state has appointed Planning Inspectors Louise Crosby MA MRTPI, Elaine Worthington MTP MUED MRTPI IHBC and Nick Palmer BA (Hons) BPI MRTPI to carry out an independent examination of the draft Shropshire Local Plan (2016 – 2038).

Shropshire Council has now appointed Kerry Trueman as the Programme Officer for the examination of the draft Shropshire Local Plan (2016 – 2038), to assist with its organisation and administration. The Programme Officer works for the Planning Inspectors and co-ordinates all communications between the Planning Inspectors, the Council, and other participants in the examination process. The Programme Officer can be contacted by emailing Programme.Officer@Shropshire.gov.uk

Information on the examination, including the Examination Library; and Examination Calendar and Latest News is available via the draft Shropshire Local Plan (2016 – 2038) Examination Page.

Stages of Plan preparation

Prior to submission for examination, the draft Shropshire Local Plan (2016 – 2038) was prepared through an iterative process.

The key stages of consultation undertaken as part of this process are documented in the Examination Library, available via the draft Shropshire Local Plan (2016 – 2038) Examination Page.