A new local plan for Cheshire East

A local plan sets out how development (such as homes, business growth, infrastructure, minerals, and waste development) should take place in the future. It contains policies to help protect and enhance the environment, and contribute to creating attractive places where people can live active and healthy lives. Its policies are used to make decisions on planning applications.

The council will prepare a new local plan under the government’s recently reformed plan-making system. The first formal steps under the new system are to publish a local plan timetable and “notice of intention to commence local plan preparation”. The council intends to publish these in June 2026, and start the formal process of engagement with the local plan scoping consultation during the summer.

Current status

In advance of the formal start, we have carried out some informal and background work to assist us when we do start to prepare the new local plan. We consulted on an issues paper and ran a ‘call for sites’ exercise in 2024, and some initial work on the evidence base is underway. We recently ran a further 'call for sites' exercise in early 2026.

The council had previously intended to produce a separate minerals and waste plan, but these matters will now be included within a single new local plan.

More information

We have created a consultation website for the new local plan, which shows the consultation documents and feedback received to date (including the issues consultation and call for sites). You can also register to receive email notifications of local plan consultations.

Local plan consultation website

Further information on work that is underway can be found in a report to the March 2025 meeting and a report to the November 2025 meeting of the Environment and Communities Committee, plus in our latest Strategic planning update newsletter.