Local Development Scheme (LDS)

1 January to end of June 2025 
(6 months)
 

Scoping and early participation stage 

This stage occurs before the 30 months timeframe for plan preparation starts. This stage is expected to take a minimum of 4 months as this is the minimum period of ‘notice’ that must be given to stakeholders of the fact that the Council intends to formally commence the 30 months plan preparation timeframe. 6 months is recommended for this stage in Runnymede to allow for Local Plan briefings to occur with newly elected Members after the local elections in early May 2025. 

As part of this stage, planning authorities will need to “invite” views on what the plan should contain and feedback on key issues that should be addressed. It will also provide an important opportunity for local authorities to garner the views of communities and key stakeholders on how they would like to be engaged throughout the process.

The knowledge and experience of all stakeholders will be key to this and in identifying who should be engaged at this stage. The expectation is that planning authorities will be required to invite a range of relevant persons and bodies, which might include communities, statutory bodies and neighbouring authorities, to participate informally at this stage. However, this is also likely to be supported by informal engagement with elected members and other internal stakeholders within the wider authority, to ensure the plan ties in with the authority’s wider corporate strategies. 

A Project Initiation Document will need to be prepared to distil the key messages emerging from the early engagement activities carried out, outlining the ‘main messages’ of this participation to front-load discussions on vision and strategy. The basis of a vision and strategy will begin to emerge during this stage, which will then be underpinned by evidence and refined throughout the local plan process.

This stage will also allow an opportunity to review the Council’s Local Plan timetable. 

Feedback from engagement and evidence gathering at this stage will be required to inform the Strategic Environmental Assessment (and its eventual replacement Environmental Outcomes Reports). 

At the end of this stage, planning authorities are expected to have a clear idea of the level of commitment required to produce the plan and the key themes that will shape it,

• key paragraphs from July 2023 Government consultation material: 43, 50-53

Gateway 1 (advisory checkpoint)

July 2025 (expected to take 1 month)

Topics to be considered:
Review of the Project Initiation Document including:

• Proposed scope of the plan and identifying the evidence required to create a sound plan
• Project management, governance, risks to delivery and resourcing to deliver against the local plan timetable
• The overall approach to engagement with communities and stakeholders, including statutory bodies throughout the plan preparation process
• Data and digital approach
• Early scoping of relevant Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) (and subsequently Environmental Outcome Report (EOR)) requirements, and Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) requirements
• Scoping out topics where local specific development management policies may be required.
• Headline position on delivering new homes based on the standard method and recent Housing Delivery Test (HDT) results and, where possible, describe the high-level options available to deliver development needs in the area.
• Headline positions on how plan with reflect any relevant Local Nature Recovery Strategy

At this stage Officers will also scope out requirements to introduce a new Infrastructure Levy charging schedule and Infrastructure Delivery Strategy.

(key paragraphs from July 2023 Government consultation material: 113)

1 July 2025-end of October 2025 
(4 months)
 

Plan visioning and strategy development

The purpose of this stage is to: establish the vision, aims and objectives of the local plan, building on the work done at the scoping stage; to confirm the evidence required to support this; and the spatial options and topics to be covered in local policies as part of the plan.

In line with the aim to strengthen the role of plan visions, an established vision will influence the spatial options and link to the local policies and sites. The Government’s view is that a vision that is tested, including through the process of environmental assessment, and well established will result in a local plan that can support proposals and initiatives that align with it, and robustly defend itself from proposals that are not.

The proposed eight-week mandatory consultation which will occur during this stage, will be important in establishing the vision. It will be the first opportunity for all stakeholders to formally comment on the issues an area is facing and how they may be tackled in the local plan. 

At the end of this stage, the planning authority should be confident about the proposed vision, aims and objectives and know what options are available to deliver them.

• key paragraphs from July 2023 Government consultation material: 43, 54-57

At this point, the Planning Policy Team will also work with communities to support them as they develop Neighbourhood Priorities Statements. This is a simpler form of neighbourhood planning tool which will allow communities to identify their key priorities for their local area, including their development preferences, and will provide a simpler and more accessible way for them to participate in neighbourhood planning. 

Evidence gathering and drafting the plan

This is second stage within the 30 months timeframe and marks the mid-point between scoping and examination with the second gateway assessment.

The Government has stated that they propose to advise in guidance that the aim of this stage is to decide on an appropriate strategy for the local plan, in terms of the spatial options and policies that will best meet the planning authority’s vision, aims and objectives.

The expectation will be that the evidence base should relate directly to the tests of soundness to keep it proportionate.

The Government proposes that guidance on this stage of the plan preparation should encourage continuous engagement with Members, in line with the governance arrangements agreed in the Project Implementation Document Plan. 

Gateway 2 is an advisory checkpoint which will occur midway through this stage and the topics to be considered will be:

• Progress against Project Initiation Document and programme
• Progress against observations or advice received at Gateway 1
• Topic-specific advice based on planning authority and appointed person identified issues (around emerging plan and evidence)
• Data and digital requirements (including policies map)
• Progress with relevant SEA (and subsequently EOR requirements) and HRA
• Engagement with communities and statutory bodies
• Compliance with the requirement to have regard to certain matters, including any relevant Neighbourhood Priorities Statements

Following the second gateway assessment, planning authorities should seek final Member sign-off of the local plan for public consultation.

• key paragraphs from July 2023 Government consultation material: 43, 58-61, 113

1 January 2027-end of May 2027
(5 months)
 

Engagement, proposing changes and submission of the plan 

The Government has stated that they intend to set out in guidance that this final stage before the submission of the local plan needs to be as focused as possible. They will expect that issues are resolved with statutory consultees and stakeholders during the mandatory consultation window which will occur during this stage, with an opportunity to make modifications to the plan prior to the submission. The planning authority should seek Member sign-off of any changes and avoid re-consulting wherever possible prior to the examination. 

The third gateway assessment will also occur during this stage. This gateway check point is mandatory for all local authorities to complete. The topics to be covered at gateway 3 are as follows:  

• Procedural and legal requirements met
• Regard had to observations and advice at Gateways 1 and 2
• Evidence prepared as proposed and any previously identified gaps addressed
• Relevant SEA (and subsequently EOR) and HRA published, including explanation of compliance with national requirements
• Summary of representations available
• Digital and data requirements met (including policies map)
• Nationally defined templates used, where appropriate
• Engagement activities undertaken in line with Project Initiation Document with regard to national guidance
• Spatial Development Strategy general conformity statement prepared (where relevant)
• Practical readiness for examination (e.g. venue identified for hearings etc.)
• key paragraphs from July 2023 Government consultation material: 43, 62, 113

1 June to end of November 2027

(6 months)

Examination 

The Government has stated that they intend to set out in guidance that this stage should last a maximum of six months, to move away from the current situation where examinations can potentially last for several years. The new gateway assessment process will be key to achieving this, by ensuring that any issues with the plan are picked up earlier in the plan-making process and resolved prior to the examination.

(key paragraphs from July 2023 Government consultation material: 63)

December 2027
(1 month)

Finalisation and adoption of digital plan and monitoring

Local Plan to be finalised and adopted. 

Following adoption of the local plan, planning authorities will be expected to monitor how their plan is performing, to ensure that key objectives are being met and that policies are effective. A proposed detailed monitoring return, which planning authorities would be expected to complete within four years of the plan being adopted, would ensure that updates to plans can be more targeted and focused.

The existing complex requirement for plans to be reviewed at least once every 5 years and updated as necessary will be replaced by a clearer requirement in regulations for planning authorities to commence an update of their local plans every 5 years. This would not preclude planning authorities from commencing an update sooner. The intention is to encourage a more rolling rhythm of updates to plans wherever possible, ensuring plans and their evidence are routinely kept up to date. Ultimately, this will make plans more effective.

• key paragraphs from July 2023 Government consultation material: 64 and 65

Current adopted Supplementary Planning Documents are as follows:

• Infrastructure Delivery and Prioritisation SPD
• Runnymede Design SPD
• Thames Basin Heaths SPD
• Green and Blue Infrastructure SPD
• Affordable Housing SPD
• Runnymede Parking Guidance SPD

An Energy SPD and Gypsy, Traveller and Travelling Showman Allocation Scheme SPD are also being prepared by the Council and are due to be adopted in Autumn 2024.  

It is too early to comment on which of these topic areas may need to be retained in Supplementary Plans as part of the new plan making system but this matter will be kept under review by the Council. To some extent, the Council’s decision in this regard will be dependent on the content of the Government’s National Development Management policies which have not yet been published, as well as the breadth of the Council’s Design Code which is currently in the early stages of preparation.