North East Lincolnshire Council has given the green light for a new round of public consultation on its updated draft Local Plan, following central Government changes to planning.
The council is now preparing to invite local people and organisations to take part in a further stage of consultation to help shape the borough’s future growth and development in the years ahead.
Following Cabinet approval today (November 24), the eight-week consultation will run from 8 December 2025 to 1 February 2026.
This marks a key milestone in the statutory review of the Local Plan, which began two years ago. All responses from the last round of consultation have been carefully reviewed and will inform the next phase of the process.
The review had to be paused in 2024 to consider and incorporate Government changes that have increased the housing target for many local authorities, including North East Lincolnshire. As a result, the council is now required to undertake a further round of consultation on all aspects of the draft Local Plan, including specific areas of change as follows:
• Jobs growth and employment needs within the plan period (2025 to 2043)
• The objective and National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) imposed requirements for new homes and the broad spatial distribution of these homes; and
• Specific site allocations for employment and residential uses.
As indicated, comments are both sought and welcomed on all aspects on the draft plan, including the areas highlighted. Adoption of the revised plan is now expected in 2028 with its life extended until 2043.
Evidence-based planning remains central to the process. The council has used a variety of updated data and analysis – including the new Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA), which assessed economic and housing needs – to then identify sites capable of delivering the required homes and jobs.
The new housing target for North East Lincolnshire, based on the Government’s ‘standard method’ introduced in March 2024, is 622 homes per year, totalling 11,196 homes over the plan period.
This revised target exceeds the previous options presented in the 2024 Draft Plan. At the time of the 2024 Draft Plan consultation, the ‘standard method’ resulted in an annual need of just 203 homes a year. The council had proposed raising that to 415 homes a year on the basis that it would better capture the benefits of local jobs growth and improving economic conditions. This received mixed feedback.
All comments from the 2024 consultation have been reviewed and will be considered equally alongside new submissions. There is no need to resubmit previous feedback, but additional comments are welcome on all aspects of the Local Plan review. Full responses from the earlier consultation will be available from December 8 on the “What People Said” tab. consultation portal.
Details of how to get involved in this next round of consultation will be released soon. You can read the full cabinet report here: https://www.nelincs.gov.uk/meetings/special-cabinet-11/
Portfolio Holder for Housing, Infrastructure and Transport, Cllr Stewart Swinburn, said:
“We appreciate all the feedback received during the first consultation. Changes in national planning policy have made it necessary to revisit our draft Local Plan and consult again.
“When this new round of consultation opens in December, it will be open to everyone who lives and works in North East Lincolnshire.
“The consultation will be very robust and there will be lots of ways for people to access it. If you want to understand how our borough is likely to develop, please get involved.
“We remain ambitious. Our goal is to create a borough full of opportunity—supporting new development, jobs, skills, housing, and green energy.”
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