Call for Sites 2026
The 'Call for Sites' will be open between Wednesday 14 October and Friday 6 November 2026. This is an opportunity to tell us about any land/site for potential development that has not been submitted to us previously.
New Local Plan
Local Plan scoping consultation
We carried out a scoping consultation, to seek views on what the new Local Plan should contain, and how future consultation and engagement should be carried out.
The consultation was open from 9am on Monday 7 September until 5pm on Monday 28 September 2026.
This was a short, early-stage consultation designed to help us identify the main issues and priorities for the new Local Plan. As more detailed proposals are developed, there will be further opportunities to comment.
Full details of the consultation available on our Local Plan Scoping consultation webpage.
What is the Local Plan?
The Local Plan is the key land use planning document for Cheshire West and Chester. It will help decide things like the most sustainable places where new homes and jobs could go, and how the environment could be protected.
The new plan will be a single Local Plan document that will update and replace the policies in the current Local Plan (Part One) and Local Plan (Part Two), and will set out how much development is needed in the borough and allocate land if needed.
Changes to the planning system
The Council has decided to move to the Government’s new plan-making system for preparing the Local Plan.
This replaces the previous work carried out under the legacy plan-making system, up to and including the Issues and Option Regulation 18 consultation 2025. Many of the comments received are still relevant, and we will consider them when drafting policies for the new plan.
Notice of intention to commence Local Plan preparation and timetable
The first step in the new system is to publish our Notice of Intention to Commence Local Plan Preparation and a timetable for preparation of the Local Plan. These provide communities and other stakeholders with advance notice of plan‑making so they understand when and how they can get involved in preparing the new Local Plan.
Strategic Environmental Assessment and Sustainability Appraisal
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is a systematic process that must be carried out during the preparation of Local Plans. SEA aims to identify significant environmental effects and mitigate negative effects.