Northamptonshire Local Plan Watch - Spring 2023

Both West Northamptonshire and North Northamptonshire continue to map out the intended timescales for the preparation of new Strategic Local Plans that will eventually replace the adopted two Joint Core Strategies that cover Northamptonshire as a whole.

West Northamptonshire’s undertook its Spatial Strategy Options and Call for Sites consultation at the end of 2021. North Northamptonshire were not far behind with its Call for Sites in Early 2022 followed by a Scope and Issues consultation in Spring 2022.

West Northamptonshire has recently published a new timetable for preparation of the Strategic Plan, with publication of a Draft Plan (Regulation 18) for consultation now due in October 2023, followed by Publication Version of the Draft Plan (Regulation 19) in June 2024. North Northamptonshire’s Strategic Plan timetable timetable is due to be updated.

As time goes on, both West Northamptonshire and North Northamptonshire’s timetable for the Strategic Plans appear likely to become more aligned, which makes sense from a strategic plan-making point of view as issues relating to housing, employment and infrastructure are County-wide and a degree of joint working between the Authorities would help facilitate positive and pro-active plan-making.

The East Northamptonshire Local Plan Part 2 element of North Northamptonshire continues to move forward with a Main Modifications consultation taking place between March-April 2023, with adoption of the Plan now likely to fall later this year.

Key challenges facing both Authorities across the County will be unlocking the delivery of housing and employment development, whilst managing potential issues relating to infrastructure, market absorption and saturation of growth, particularly where it might impact on the rate of housing delivery in areas of high concentration of growth.

Five Year Land Supply

Both West Northamptonshire and North Northamptonshire appear to be able to currently demonstrate stable five-year housing land supply positions, with no clear and obvious route to the tilted balance under the presumption in favour of sustainable of development at the present time. Both Authorities, however, will not want to rest on their laurels, as there will likely be increasing short-term housing land supply pressures without timely progression of both committed allocations in adopted Plans and the identification of additional growth as part of the new Strategic Plans, which could possibly drive a continuation of speculative applications in some parts of the County.

For detail on emerging Local Plan position in Northamptonshire please click on the map below.