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Have your say on the future of local government in Breckland

Local Plan Full Update 2024-2042

Breckland's new Local Plan will shape our district to 2042.

It will help ensure that planning decisions are made in the best interests of our communities.

Everyone with an interest in their village, town or local area can have their say. The more people that get involved, the better the aspirations of our communities will be reflected. 

Keep up to date with the latest news about the local plan by signing up to ourConsultee Database 

Call For Sites 2025

Between April and May 2022, the council undertook a formal Call for Sites consultation as part of the full update of the Local Plan. This was a way for landowners, developers, individuals, parish and town councils and other interested parties to suggest sites for development or for protection as Local Green Space. 

In December 2024 the Government published the revised NPPF alongside mandatory housing targets. For Breckland this increased the target from 625 dwellings per annum to 903. Given the significant increase in housing that is required by Government to be delivered a further call for sites is necessary in relation to sourcing additional housing land.  The call for sites also asks for potential sites for gypsy and traveller provision. Furthermore, the Government has committed to doubling onshore wind energy by 2030 and has removed the de facto ban on onshore wind in England, in place since 2015. Further, the NPPF states that the 'planning system should support the transition to net zero by 2050. The Call For Sites is therefore including a call for land for all renewable energy in order for the Council to consider identifying suitable areas for renewable and low carbon energy.

It is important to note that the call for sites exercise will not determine whether a site should be allocated for development. However, it will help identify a potential pool of sites for further consideration through a range of technical work. This will help to inform future decisions on allocations in the new Local Plan. The Council will conduct a technical assessment of land put forward and look to include appropriate available, suitable and deliverable land within the new Local Plan.  It should be noted that identifying sites and buildings in the assessment does not guarantee their inclusion in the Local Plan or that planning permission will be granted.

Sites that were previously submitted to the Council for consideration will be considered again and there will be no requirement for agents or landowners to re-submit. However it will be an opportunity for promotors to supply additional information to support their proposal and demonstrate deliverability.

Comments received during previous consultations regarding previously put forward sites will still be considered and there will be the opportunity for interested parties to comment on new sites put forward and expand on any comments previously made.

 Any new sites that are submitted will be placed in the public domain.

Please use the relevant Form and additional note when submitting a site. It is important to note that the Council will require the promoters of all the sites to have, or be prepared at  their own expense to, address all the assessment criteria as set out in the supporting documents and to undertake any relevant work to demonstrate that a site is suitable, available and deliverable no later than the end of July 2025 so as to help the Council meet the approved timetable for the preparation of the Plan. It is imperative that all sites allocated for development in the Plan can demonstrate that they are suitable, available, viable and deliverable in order to ensure that the Plan can be found sound at a future Examination in Public.

Please submit a site using the appropriate Form below.

Call For Sites - Housing and Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showpeople

Call For Sites - Renewable Energy

Sites should be submitted by April 28th, 2025

Regulation 18 Consultation (Preferred Options Draft Plan)

The Council has completed a public consultation on the Draft Plan. This ended on 15th July 2024. This stage of the local plan (known as Regulation 18) sets out the Council's draft policies and growth strategy and is an important stage in the plan-making process. It provides an early opportunity for our communities, businesses, landowners, developers, partners and stakeholders to 'have a say' and comment on the draft Local Plan before it is considered further.

All comments will be considered as part of the process of preparing the next version of the Local Plan.

On 30th July 2024 the Labour Government published a consultation on proposed revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The consultation ends on 24th September 2024 and it is understood the revised document will be issued towards the end of this year. The Council is considering the implications of this proposed change in national policy on the Local Plan and the timetable for production.

Once this is completed, the website will be updated.

The Consultation Document

Please take a look at our Preferred Options Document (PDF, 3 MB)(opens new window) . You can view our Planning Policies Map on ARCGIS (opens new window).

Consultation description

The purpose of the Preferred Options Local Plan Document is to outline the Council's preferred policy direction on strategic issues, preferred development management policies and the range of emerging site options. To inform this, feedback has been used from previous phases of consultation covering matters such as growth scenarios, potential sites and sustaining rural communities alongside commissioned evidence. Through this  consultation, the aim is to seek stakeholder views around the preferred approach being proposed by the Council.

Please send any comments or responses on the Preferred Options Draft Local Plan to LocalPlan@breckland.gov.uk

Integrated Assessment 

Following publication in January 2024 of the IA Scoping Report and Initial IA of the Local Plan Alternative Development Options (available available on Commonplace (opens new window)), the Authority's consultants LUC are undertaking IA of the Local Plan Full Update.

The challenging timetable for completion and assessment of the draft Local Plan mean that a completed IA Report to the Preferred Options is not yet available for consultation. At this time, the Council expects this to be available towards the end of the current Local Plan consultation period.

As soon as the IA is available and published an additional notification will be issued to consultees for review and comment.

Evidence Base

Phase 2 Site Assessments 

Previous consultation phases

Call for Sites

Between April and December 2022 the council undertook a Call for Sites consultation as part of the Update on the Local Plan. This is a way for landowners, developers, individuals, parish and town councils and other interested parties to suggest sites for development or for protection as Local Green Space. This is a normal part of plan making.  

We need to ensure that the sites eventually allocated within the Plan are deliverable. This means, among other factors, that the landowner is open to developing it within the required timescales. As such, a Call for Sites is an important part of finding out what land may be available.

Issues and Options

The Issues and Options consultation was an important part of the Local Plan process.

It was the first stage of public consultation, where the community was asked how they would like to tackle a range of planning issues and proposed options for the future development of the District.

The consultation did not identify potential development sites or draft policy working.

The Issues and Options consultation ran from March 10 to May 19 2023.

Regulation 18 Consultation (Development Options)

A 6 week period of public consultation on the Regulation 18 Local Plan: Full Update (emerging development strategy) was undertaken between 8th January 2024 and 19th February 2024. The feedback from this consultation has been summarised in the Issues & Options Consultation Feedback Report May 2024.

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Last modified on 16 April 2025