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Local Plan Review

Welcome to Stage Three of North East Lincolnshire’s Local Plan review

The Local Plan sets out how the borough will grow and develop in the years ahead, and the council must review it every five years.

Local Plan Review logo

In 2024, we asked you for your views on the draft Local Plan and 1,100 of you responded. All responses from the last round of consultation have been carefully reviewed and will inform this next phase of the process – you can read those responses at: what people said. You can, however, comment again here on every aspect of the Local Plan review.

After we received your responses in 2024, we had to pause the review due to major Government changes to planning, which increased the number of homes we now have to build in North East Lincolnshire to 622 per year. This will total 11,196 homes over the period of the plan which, once adopted, will run from 2028-2043.

In light of this, we are resuming the review with this Stage Three Local Plan consultation, which is open now and will run from December 8 2025 until 23:59 on Sunday 1st February 2026.

We are consulting again on all areas of the draft Local Plan, including these specific areas of change:

  • 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.
Local Plan 2025 Public Consultation video screenshot
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Have your say now. Everything you need to know about the Local Plan review, previous and current consultations, and what to do next can be found here.

On this page

Read more about Stage Three Watch a Q&A Take part in the consultation

Previous stages of review

The following engagement and consultation activities have been undertaken as part of the Local Plan review:

Completed 2022

The first stage of the Local Plan review took place in 2022 with the publication of a Scoping and Issues Paper (PDF, 870KB) , the content of which was designed to highlight those areas of the adopted 2018 Local Plan that have been identified as needing review and to establish the overall scope for the remaining stages of the review process.

What were we consulting on?

As part of this first stage of the review, a period of informal public engagement was carried out, inviting everyone with an interest in North East Lincolnshire to:

  1. Comment on the areas we identified as needing review
  2. Provide feedback on the questions we think need consideration
  3. Suggest other areas they think should be included in the review process

The engagement period commenced on Monday 26 September and was due to end on Friday 4 November. However, due to technical issues with the launch of the event on our consultation portal the closing date for responses was extended until 5pm on Monday 7 November 2022.

Drop-in sessions

Initially three informal drop-in events were arranged to provide people with the opportunity to speak with an officer to find out more about the Local Plan review and how they could get involved in the review process. Following feedback received requesting more access for working people to be able to attend these events additional evening and weekend sessions were arranged. Venues included:

  • Immingham
  • Grimsby library
  • Cleethorpes library
  • Civic Centre Hub, Immingham

Officers held a briefing session for all Councillors on the various North East Lincolnshire Council Scrutiny Panels and were also invited to and attended:

  • Housing developer’s forum meeting
  • Town and Parish Council liaison meeting
  • Immingham Town Council meeting

Publicity

Along with a Public Notice and various press releases published in the Grimsby Telegraph, an article was included in the Discover North East Lincolnshire, Autumn 2022 edition which was distributed to all households in the Borough. In addition, social media posts on the Council’s Facebook page, Twitter and Linkedin accounts highlighted various topics covered by the Local Plan and encouraged people to get involved with the Local Plan review process.

Everyone with up-to-date contact details on the local plan database were notified directly, either by automated email or letter, of the start of the public engagement period. A reminder email was also sent a week before the end of the engagement period reminding people to get their comments in.

People registered on the Council’s engagement, consultation and involvement mailing list also received information about the Scoping Papers publication and engagement period.

We also made the document available in various formats:

Copies of the Scoping and Issues Paper were made available to view at various locations across the Borough and online, including:

  • This page on the council’s website
  • Online consultation portal
  • North East Lincolnshire Council Municipal Offices
  • Equans reception, New Oxford House
  • Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Waltham and Immingham libraries
  • Tea in the Park at Grant Thorold Park
  • The Gingerbread House, Humberston
  • Scartho community hub

Consultation results

Responses were received from 117 individuals, including from residents, businesses, landowners, agents and statutory bodies. A total of 643 comments were processed. Some of the main issues raised included:

  • New homes should be affordable
  • Brownfield land should be developed first
  • Empty homes need to be brought back into use
  • Protection of green spaces
  • Clarity on what ‘urban’ means
  • Support for low carbon agenda, energy efficiency, alternative energy sources
  • Importance of infrastructure requirements, including schools, medical centres etc.
  • More charging points for electric vehicles
  • Reduction of light pollution
  • Population has fallen, needing less housing
  • Modernise town centre, protect villages from development
  • Self build plots might break up ‘identikit’ developments
  • Improve existing infrastructure, roads, rail, public transport and cycle routes
  • Employment has declined; larger businesses have closed. Reuse employment land for employment or housing
  • Skills aimed at local businesses
  • Expansion of further education facilities
  • Improved access to green spaces
  • Regenerate the town centre, making it a safe, secure and welcoming place to visit
  • Design quality is a matter of opinion, things should look nice but last
  • Protection and enhancement of heritage assets and their settings

All the responses received are available to view on our online consultation portal.

Completed 2024

Following the informal public engagement on the Scoping and Issues Paper (PDF, 870KB) held in 2022, the Council have been reviewing the comments received, updating the background evidence documents that inform the Local Plan review process and preparing the next version of the Local Plan review document. This Draft Plan with Options (PDF, 25MB)  was published for formal consultation in accordance with Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012, as amended.

What were we consulting on?

This consultation was seeking your comments on:

  • How growth (additional employment land and new homes) is distributed around the Borough.
  • Levels of growth, potential locations for development and place-shaping priorities.
  • The opportunity to inform proposals about how the Council’s planning policies can be shaped to address climate change and biodiversity net gain.

The consultation was supported by a set of supporting documents that have been prepared to inform the development of policy. These can be viewed via the ‘Supporting documents’, further below on this page.

This public consultation period ran from Monday 15 January to Friday 8 March 2024. Late responses were not accepted.

Due to the statutory nature of the Local Plan review process, we were unable to accept anonymous comments. It was asked you provided your name and address, and email address if you have one.

Drop-in sessions

As part of the consultation, we organised some drop-in events across the Borough where you could find out more about the consultations. Venues included:

  • Cleethorpes library
  • Grimsby library
  • Immingham library

We also produced a Frequently Asked Questions document and videos which you can find links to under related documents on this page.

Sustainability Appraisal and Habitats Regulations

Alongside the Draft Plan we were also consulting on two major supporting pieces of work the Sustainability Appraisal Report and Habitat Regulations Assessment Report. These documents can be found on their dedicated webpages

Consultation results summary

All the responses received are available to view on our online consultation portal.

Supporting and related documents

Supporting documents

Related documents

Previous press releases

Stage 3: Consultation

The Local Plan is a document that sets out where people will live, work and play across the Borough. Local Plans are prepared by a local planning authority in consultation with communities and stakeholders. It sets out a vision and framework to shape future development in our area.

Local Plans set out the amount of new housing and employment development need and where this should go. They also cover other types of developments such as leisure, retail, minerals, and waste and can cover other aspects of land use such as, flood risk heritage, open space, infrastructure, and sustainable development.

All the comments received during the 2024 consultation have been processed and reviewed and will be treated equally to those submitted to this consultation. These comments do not need to be resubmitted, you can access them at: what people said. However, new, or additional comments are welcomed.

Before completing the consultation

Please refer to the Draft Local Plan: Preferred housing and employment site options (PDF, 15MB) , and you might find the Local Plan evidence base valuable. You can comment on all parts of the 2025 Preferred Options document, or just the specific sections you are interested in.

You can also find out more about Stage 3 by reading the information below.

North East Lincolnshire Council’s current Local Plan was adopted in 2018 and in line with national legislation must be reviewed every five years to ensure it is up to date and still fit for purpose. This involves carrying out public consultation on proposals as updates to any policies it contains are developed. We embarked on that process in 2022 and the last round of consultation was carried out at the beginning of 2024 on the Draft Plan with Options (2024 Draft Plan). With the intention of carrying out a final consultation before submitting the plan to the Secretary of State for examination in 2025,

However, that process was delayed when, in December 2024, the Government published a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This saw substantial changes that must be referred to in local plans. One of the most significant changes was how housing need is calculated with the introduction of the ‘standard method’. As a result, the Council is now required to plan for more homes than previously anticipated.

We have prepared a new document (the 2025 Preferred Options document) which considers the Government’s changes, updated evidence and the comments received during our 2024 consultation. It is this document that we are seeking your views on. The document has been set out in two parts:

Part 1

This concentrates on the areas of the 2024 Draft Plan that considered the overarching growth issues across North East Lincolnshire, of which options were identified rather than specific policies and supporting text.

In this section, you will see several new policies which have been developed based on updated evidence, and the responses received during the 2024 consultation, including the Council’s preferred housing and employment sites. It also takes account of the Government’s ‘standard method’ housing figures, which for North East Lincolnshire means we have a target to build 622 new homes per year. The updated evidence base documents are available to view on the Council’s website at Local Plan evidence base.

Part 2

Whilst part 2 of the 2025 Preferred Options document does not set out any policies it reflects on the consultation carried out on the 2024 Draft Plan. It sets out a summary of the main issues raised during the 2024 consultation. Outlines any ongoing work to update any evidence base documents and provides an indication of where changes to the policies set out in the 2024 Draft Plan may be required.

The 2025 Preferred Options document and supporting documents can be viewed on this page.

Paper copies will be available to read at Cleethorpes Library, Immingham Library, Waltham Library, Grimsby Pop-Up Library, The Gingerbread House, Humberston, Scartho Community Library and the Municipal Offices, Grimsby.

Several face-to-face drop-in events will be held during the consultation period, where officers will be available to answer questions and help people respond to the consultation. These events will give you a chance to look at the Council’s preferred housing and employment site options and to find out how to tell us your views. Comments on the 2025 Preferred Options document can be submitted until 23:59 on Sunday 1 February 2026. Visit the Local Plan consultation portal at Consultation Home – Keystone.

Following this consultation, the Council will carefully consider all the comments received, alongside those received during the earlier 2024 Draft Plan consultation. Responses from both rounds of consultation will help to shape and inform a Regulation 19 ‘Pre-Submission Local Plan’, which is due to be published for consultation in 2026.

We are also consulting on the following supporting documents that inform the preparation of a local plan. If you have any comments on these documents please send them, with your contact details to: [email protected].

Sustainability Appraisal

A Sustainability Appraisal has also been prepared to assess the sustainability of the proposed options and policies set out in the 2025 Preferred Options document.

The Sustainability Appraisal is available to view online at: Sustainability Appraisal.

Habitats Regulations Assessment

A Habitats Regulations Assessment has been prepared to assess the likely significant effect on the achievement of the conservation objectives of the European and International conservation sites within and around the area, including:

  • Special Protection Areas (SPAs) for birds classified by the ‘1979 Wild Birds Directive’
  • Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) for other habitats and species designated through the ‘1992 Habitats Directive’
  • Ramsar sites, which are internationally important wetland areas designated under the ‘Ramsar Convention’

The Habitats Regulations Assessment is available to view on online at Habitat Regulations Assessment.

Several of the evidence base documents that inform and support the Local Plan preparation have been updated since the 2024 Draft Plan consultation including the Housing and Economic Needs Assessment (HEDNA), Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) amongst others.

These updated documents can be viewed and downloaded from the Local Plan evidence base page. If you have any comments on these documents, please send them to us at: [email protected].

How to tell us your views

Please remember to read the Draft Local Plan: Preferred housing and employment site options (PDF, 15MB) before completing the consultation. You may also find the Local Plan evidence base valuable.

Visit the consultation portal online: Local Plan Consultation Portal.

The preferred method of receiving responses is the Local Plan Consultation Portal.

Alternatively you are welcome to make comment on up to three sections via the Local Plan Review form.

Send your comments to: [email protected].

Please include the following details:

  • What you are commenting on (for example: section number, policy number, table number).
  • Your name and contact details
  • Organisation (if relevant)
  • Your clients contact details if you are responding as an agent

Download the consultation response form (Word, 90KB) and post to:

Spatial Planning, North East Lincolnshire Council, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, DN31 1HU.

Please include the following details:

  • What you are commenting on (for example: section number, policy number, table number).
  • Your name and contact details
  • Organisation (if relevant)
  • Your clients contact details if you are responding as an agent

Drop-in events

Face to face drop-in events, where officers will be available to answer questions and help people respond to the consultation, will take place here.

  • Wednesday 17 December in Friargate Square, Freshney Place Shopping Centre, Grimsby, DN31 1ED, 9am until 5pm.
  • Thursday 8 January at Burton Hall, Civic Centre, Pelham Road, Immingham, DN40 1QF, 5pm until 8pm.
  • Saturday 17 January at Cleethorpes Library, Alexandra Road, Cleethorpes, DN34 8LG, 9am until 1pm.

These events will give you a chance to look at the Council’s preferred housing and employment site options and to find out how to tell us your views.

Q&A

Watch the video or alternatively, read the questions and answers.

Pier with writing over saying Local Plan Q&A
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The Local Plan sets out a long-term vision for land use for a council area, identifying areas for housing, employment, retail and infrastructure. It also sets out the policies against which planning applications are determined. The Local Plan must contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and be consistent with the principles and policies in the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework. In essence, the Local Plan should set out what the opportunities are for development in the area and say what types of development will and will not be permitted, and in which locations.

It is a requirement of Government and provides clarity, confidence and consistency in decision making on planning applications. It is important in supporting the Council’s economic and housing aspirations helping to provide jobs, quality housing for people and supporting leisure opportunities. It is also about place making and enhancing the environment.

All comments received during the 2024 consultation have been processed and reviewed and will be treated equally to those submitted to this consultation. Comments do not need to be resubmitted. However, new, or additional comments, can be submitted.

Due to the change in the housing numbers it is important to assess how these will be catered for as informed by up dated evidence, including a revised Housing and Economic Development Needs Assessment (HEDNA). Unlike the previous Regulation 18 consultation, this one provides preferred options for that housing requirement, and also the employment requirement.

Due to the publication of a new National Planning Policy Framework in December 2024 and the new housing requirements, the methodology for housing numbers has changed, with a Government set requirement of 622 dwellings per year for North East Lincolnshire, which increases the number of houses the area is required to build for those previously consulted on. This is all to meet the Government’s ambition for new housing across the country. The review had to be paused in 2024 to consider and incorporate the Government reforms. As a result, the Council is now asking for a second round of feedback on its preferred options for:

  • 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.

Set by national Government through a standard methodology. The Council must have strong regard to this.

It is a review of the existing Local Plan so there are many sites which are already allocated and considered acceptable in that Plan. However, these and new sites suggested are considered again in terms of them being available and deliverable and considered against physical and environmental criteria, such as location to services and amenities and where jobs are and will be, and against such matters as highway safety and amenity. Strategic sites are those larger sites which provide a good proportion of delivery without which significant additional sites would be needed to replace them. They provide an opportunity to provide a coordinated sustainable development of a high quality.

Yes, even if they don’t have a planning permission on them, they can remain so long as availability and willingness to deliver persist. Scartho Top does of course have planning permissions in place.

The elements which support development and required by it including highways, drainage and utilities. It also includes areas of land set aside to mitigate the demands of development, such as green space and habitat mitigation. An example being the over-wintering bird habitats created on the Humber Bank. Also, social infrastructure such as educational provision and affordable housing.

Through assessment and evaluation speaking to consultees and undertaking consultation such as this. An Infrastructure Development Plan will also be prepared, a baseline report accompanies this consultation and is available to view at: Local Plan evidence base.

Brownfield sites provide a great opportunity as they are often sustainably located in urban areas, and their redevelopment can enhance the local environment. However, they are often more constrained in terms of access and relationship with existing uses and can have greater demands in terms of such matters as contamination and flood risk. They also tend to be in lower value areas making financial returns more challenging.

Notice of consultation will be given on the Council’s website, along with press and social media releases. The Local Plan Preferred Options document and supporting documents will be available online and people can respond through the consultation portal where there are comment boxes. People will also be able to email and, can also write in. The consultation will run for 8 weeks from 8th December 2025 until 1st February 2026.

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Contact details

Spatial Planning, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Square, Grimsby, DN31 1HU

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: 01472 324272

Opening times: please call to make an appointment

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