About the Local Plan
How a Local Plan is prepared
1. Gather evidence
The Council conducts a range of detailed studies and considers everything a local plan needs, like how many new homes and jobs are needed along with what supporting infrastructure is required.
2. Consider options
The Council considers the ways our future development needs could be met and outlines a preferred option.
3. Consultation (Regulation 18)
A draft Local Plan is published for public consultation.
In South Tyneside, this consultation took place throughout the summer of 2022. Residents were invited to comment on the plan and drop-in sessions were held with Council officers.
Read more about this stage: Regulation 18
4. Review comments
Comments made during the Regulation 18 consultation were reviewed by the Council. A Publication draft Local Plan was then published.
5. Consultation (Regulation 19)
Consultation takes place on this new plan, inviting representations to be submitted on its 'soundness'.
We carried out the Publication draft Local Plan consultation, known as Regulation 19, in early 2024.
As part of this stage, we also consulted on a scoping report for a supplementary planning document covering the Fellgate Sustainable Growth Area. Comments received are helping to shape this document.
For more information, including details about the consultation and the documents we produced, see: Regulation 19
6. Examination in public
The Secretary of State appoints an independent planning inspector to examine the draft Local Plan in detail. Public hearing sessions are held.
This is the stage we are currently at.
To provide you with up to date progress on the Local Plan examination we have created dedicated examination web pages. These also contain a list of all the documents used in the development of the plan.
See: Local Plan examination in public
7. Adoption of the Local Plan
The examination in public by the government's planning inspector can take around 12 to 18 months to complete. They will produce a final report and this will recommend whether the Council should adopt the plan.
Once adopted, the Local Plan will be used to inform decisions on all planning applications.