Stafford Borough Local Plan 2020-2040

The Council has now closed the consultation stage on the Local Plan 2020-2040 Preferred Options document (pdf 20mb), which sought views on draft policies and proposals for new development across Stafford Borough over the next 20 years. All of the responses received will now be processed and published on the Borough Council website early in the New Year.

The Preferred Options document includes:

  • New levels of housing and employment land requirements, and how these will be distributed across the Borough through a new settlement hierarchy.
  • Proposed development allocations including Stafford Station Gateway and a new garden community at Meecebrook, which is adjacent to Cold Meece and near to Yarnfield and Eccleshall. Further information about the new garden community.
  • A range of draft planning policies on topics such as climate change, economic development, housing provision, transport and the environment 

The consultation ran from Monday 24 October 2022 until 12noon on Monday 12 December 2022.

Responses submitted during the consultation have now been published.

As part of the consultation, the Council are running an online event and a number of drop-in exhibitions across the Borough for all interested parties (e.g. Parish Councillors, residents, local business people) to attend in order to discuss the Local Plan and to ask questions. These are detailed below:

  • Wednesday 9 November 2022 - 7.30pm-8.30pm - online consultation event
  • Thursday 10 November 2022 - 4pm-8pm - Jubilee Room, Eccleshall Community Centre 
  • Monday 14 November 2022 - 4pm-8pm - Grosvenor Centre, Gnosall 
  • Tuesday 15 November 2022 - 4pm-8pm - Westbridge Room, Christchurch, Stone
  • Saturday 19 November 2022 - 11am-3.45pm - Stafford, Central Library 

Recording of the online consultation event (YouTube) held on 9 November 2022. Answers to questions submitted during the event are available in the Question and Answer Paper

There are a range of documentation and information to support this consultation, please see below:-

Draft Policy Map of the Borough and associated Inset Maps

Associated Documents

Local Plan 2020-2040: Issues and Options stage (February to April 2020)

The Council invited comments on the Issues and Options document (pdf 9.3mb) with the consultation taking place between Monday 3 February and Tuesday 21 April 2020, as well as an Addendum (pdf 263kb) update during that time.

The Local Plan Issues and Options document considered, in detail, a full range of issues facing Stafford Borough and how, through a new strategic policy framework, they might be addressed. Included were the levels of housing and employment land development required over the next 20 years, and how this provision might be distributed across the Borough. Some options included the potential for one or more new garden communities / major urban extensions. Additional topics covered climate change, the economy, housing, transport, viability, health and wellbeing, and the environment of the Borough.

Responses have been processed and the Strategic Planning and Placemaking team took these into account alongside updates to the Local Plan evidence base by the Council prior to publishing the Preferred Options document.

There were a range of documentation and information used to support the Issues and Options consultation, please see below:-

The current Plan for Stafford Borough 2011-2031

The planning policy framework for Stafford Borough is currently provided by the following adopted documents:

Neighbourhood Plans

Further details on the current Local Plan and its supporting information.

Preparing the New Stafford Borough Local Plan 2020-2040

The new Stafford Borough Local Plan 2020-2040, when completed, will update and replace the Plan currently in use. It will include policies for the development and protection of land and site allocations for new development, or for the re-development of existing buildings. The Local Development Scheme sets out the timetable of activity, that may be updated as the plan progresses, and a Statement of Community Involvement (adopted July 2006) sets out how, when and with whom we consult when preparing the new Stafford Borough Local Plan and associated policy documents.

The Council carried out its Local Plan Review in July 2017 when a consultation on the Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report took place. This was then followed, in July 2018, by consultations on the “New Local Plan - Scoping the Issues” and “New Local Plan - Settlement Assessment” documents. Subsequently the “New Local Plan - Issues and Options” consultation took place from February to April 2020.

Details of these and other Local Plan related consultations.  

Detailed evidence base studies being gathered for the emerging new Stafford Borough Local Plan 2020-2040.

Contact us

If you have any comments or questions on the Local Plan, or if you wish to be added to our list of contacts to be kept informed of future progress on the Local Plan, please contact us:

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