Consultation on the Publication Local Plan

Overview

We are now consulting on the Council’s final version of the Local Plan (referred to as the ‘Publication’ or ‘Regulation 19’ version). 

The Local Plan sets out a 15-year strategic vision, objectives and the spatial strategy. The Plan includes place-based strategies covering the whole borough, along with accompanying site allocations, as well as the thematic planning policies that will guide future development in the borough. It will inform how growth will be accommodated across the borough. The Plan seeks to address future challenges including climate change, health, affordability and liveability.

We started work on a new Local Plan in spring 2020, with a Direction of Travel consultation, where we asked about the vision, key issues and priorities to be addressed in the emerging Plan. We also invited landowners and stakeholders to submit information on sites that could be suitable for development. During 2021, a variety of informal engagement took place, where we have been listening to and reflecting on feedback from residents and stakeholders. This included a series of the Council's community conversations as well as workshops with schools. In December 2021 - January 2022, we consulted on a first full draft of the Local Plan, which reflected all the feedback from the earlier engagement as well as our evidence that we produced. All of these earlier stages and feedback from a range of stakeholders - including residents, community groups, development professionals, neighbouring boroughs and other key agencies - as well as updated evidence base studies have culminated in the 'Publication' Local Plan, on which we are now inviting comments.

Have your say

This is the last opportunity for the public to comment. The next stage will be for the Publication Plan, including comments received during this consultation period, as well as the supporting and evidence base documents, to be submitted to the Secretary of State for Examination. If you would like to participate in the Examination in Public, you will need to respond to this stage to secure your right to appear and be heard (even if you have responded to our earlier consultations).

As this is the final representations stage before the documents are submitted to the Secretary of State for Examination, your comments should relate to issues of legal and procedural compliance, the “soundness” of the Plan and the “Duty to Co-operate”.

The Publication Local Plan (including changes to the Policies Map designations), and accompanying Sustainability Appraisal, a number of supporting documents and evidence are available on our website. There is a response form and accompanying guidance notes, and comments can be made online through our Consultation Portal, or by emailing/posting the form to us.  

For more details and information on how to respond, click on the link in the box below. If you need the consultation materials in hard copy or any other format, please contact us at localplan@richmond.gov.uk or call 020 8891 1411.

What happens next

Once the consultation closes, the Plan along with all representations received will be submitted to the Secretary of State for independent Examination in Public. We are expecting submission to be later in 2023. At the Examination in Public, the Planning Inspector(s) will consider all representations received at Regulation 19 stage and examine the Plan, the evidence supporting it and make a decision whether it is sound and meets the legal requirements. It is anticipated that the Plan will be adopted in winter 2024/25, at which point it will supersede the existing Local Plan and the Twickenham Area Action Plan.

What happens next

Once the consultation closes, the Plan along with all representations received will be submitted to the Secretary of State for independent Examination in Public. We are expecting submission to be later in 2023. At the Examination in Public, the Planning Inspector(s) will consider all representations received at Regulation 19 stage and examine the Plan, the evidence supporting it and make a decision whether it is sound and meets the legal requirements. It is anticipated that the Plan will be adopted in winter 2024/25, at which point it will supersede the existing Local Plan and the Twickenham Area Action Plan.