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 also 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. Our current local plan covers the period from 2010 to 2030, but we have started to prepare its replacement now because of changes to national planning policy, the requirement to review plans regularly, and the long time it takes to prepare a new plan.
Current status
Consultation on an issues paper took place in 2024, and initial work on the evidence base is underway. The next phase of consultation and engagement will be informed by the government's new regulations, setting out how 'new style' local plans should be prepared. It is understood that these regulations will be published later in 2025.
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.
Further information on the current status, and work that is underway can be found in a report to the Environment and Communities Committee on 27 March 2025.
Consultation on the issues
We consulted on an issues paper in 2024, which set out a number of issues that the new local plan may need to consider. The consultation provided an opportunity to tell us what issues the plan should address. and how it can help tackle local priorities. We also sought views on some supporting reports that will help to inform future stages of the new local plan, and asked people to submit sites that they consider are suitable and available for future development.
The consultation ran from 8 April to 1 July 2024, and consultation information remains available for viewing under each of the headings below. The report of consultation (PDF, 5.0MB) summarises the main issues raised.
The following checkboxes are used for accordion drop-downs. When selected, they show content that was visually hidden
The issues paper is organised under various subject areas, and asks a number of questions for each subject. We have also produced a separate topic paper for each subject area to provide further background information.
- Consultation document: Issues paper for the new local plan (PDF, 886KB)
- Background topic papers:
- Responding to the climate emergency topic paper (PDF, 531KB)
- Healthy and safe communities topic paper (PDF, 398KB)
- Design topic paper (PDF, 341KB)
- Our natural environment topic paper (PDF, 347KB)
- Homes for everyone topic paper (PDF, 441KB)
- Town centres and retail topic paper (PDF, 467KB)
- Jobs, skills and economy topic paper (PDF, 396KB)
- Transport and infrastructure topic paper (PDF, 376KB)
- Historic environment topic paper (PDF, 360KB)
- Towns and villages topic paper (PDF, 467KB)
- Rural matters topic paper (PDF, 545KB)
- Minerals topic paper (PDF, 517KB)
- Waste topic paper (PDF, 351KB)
We also sought views on some draft reports that will help to inform future stages of the new local plan, including:
We also invited landowners, developers, local residents and other parties to put forwards sites that they consider are suitable and available for future development.
We are currently cataloguing all the sites submitted. Sites for housing and economic uses will be considered through our Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment.
Further information
For further information or assistance, please contact the Strategic Planning Team by email localplan@cheshireeast.gov.uk or telephone 01270 685893.
Page last reviewed: 07 April 2025
Thank you for your feedback.