GNLP 2045 Regulation 20 Scoping Consultation

1Local Plans are the main building block on which the English planning system is based, playing a key role in influencing which land in an area should be developed in the long term. Under the new plan-making system introduced this year, this is achieved through local plans setting out a growth strategy based on evidenced local needs, allocating sites for where new homes, jobs, community facilities, green spaces and other infrastructure will be located and having local policies to complement those set nationally.

2As planning applications must be determined with regard to the local plan, the GNLP 2045 will provide clarity for residents, businesses, and developers on where growth will be located and will help to ensure that new development will both be sustainable and supported by improved infrastructure.

3Local plans are consulted on with residents, businesses and other stakeholders and are examined by an independent planning Inspector before adoption. The new plan-making system aims to speed this process up compared to the recent past so that new local plans should take around 3 years to produce.

4In summary, the aim of the new national approach is to streamline the plan-making system, to reduce the time taken to produce a plan and to provide greater certainty on decision-making.

5Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) are required to produce local plans under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended). Our new local plan must also comply with the Levelling up and Regeneration Act 2023 and its 2026 Regulations. Local Plans must be in conformity with and should not repeat national planning policies which are set out primarily in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

6A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), and a Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA) will support the GNLP 2045. The SEA will assess the likely environmental impacts of the policies and sites allocated through the plan. The HRA is likely to focus on nutrient neutrality and visitor pressure on internationally protected habitats.

7Because of the close economic, social and environmental links between Norwich, Broadland and South Norfolk districts, the Greater Norwich LPAs, working with Norfolk County Council, have a long history of working together on strategic planning. Overseen by the Greater Norwich Development Partnership (GNDP), the first joint plan, the Joint Core Strategy, was adopted in 2011.

8There has also been cooperation since 2014 to accelerate the delivery of plan-led infrastructure through the Greater Norwich Growth Board (GNGB). The GNGB publishes strategic infrastructure planning documents and pools the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) income received across Greater Norwich into one shared Infrastructure Investment Fund (IIF). IIF funding supports delivery of infrastructure across four core themes of communities, education, green infrastructure and transport. This funding has also been used to help bring in external funding for many projects, with £44 million of CIL funding levering in £305 million of external funding.

9The primary document in the adopted local plan for Greater Norwich is the Greater Norwich Local Plan (GNLP). The GNLP was adopted in March 2024. The GNLP is currently used alongside other local plan documents in each district, and along with national planning policies, to assess planning applications.

10The new local plan will be called The Greater Norwich Local Plan 2045 (GNLP 2045). The plan will have a base date of 2026 and an end date of 2045. Once adopted, it will supersede the GNLP and other adopted local plan documents. It will be adopted and used by the new unitary authorities in Norfolk to help determine planning applications for the area which currently constitutes Greater Norwich.

11Based on recent legislation, it is currently anticipated that following adoption of a Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) for Norfolk and Suffolk, local plans for the new unitary authorities will be developed, most likely in the early to mid-2030s. The GNLP 2045 will provide an up-to-date growth strategy within a radically changed planning system to inform production of the SDS and the subsequent local plans for the unitary authorities.

12The need to produce the GNLP 2045 after having adopted the current GNLP in March 2024 arises from significant changes to national planning policy:

• National planning reforms have created a new plan-making system including a focus on providing additional homes locally to address the national housing crisis. As a result, Greater Norwich’s local housing need (LHN) has risen significantly since the GNLP’s adoption in 2024, so the adopted GNLP does not now plan for enough homes. LHN - a national formula – is now based on the existing housing stock and the relative affordability of homes with regard to incomes. The latest calculation, from May 2026, sets annual LHN for the area at 2,590 homes per year (see appendix 1 for details of the calculation). This compares with approximately 1,920 homes under the previous method which the adopted GNLP is based on. When LHN in an area significantly rises, in our case by 34%, national policy requires local plans to be aligned to this.
• If Greater Norwich did not produce a new Local Plan, there could be an extended period, possibly until at least the early to mid-2030s, before new local plans for the unitary areas would allocate sites. As Greater Norwich does not have a five-year land supply at present, the lack of additional housing allocations to meet the increased housing need would very likely extend the time with no five-year land supply. This would favour speculative planning applications on unallocated sites for longer, potentially with more limited infrastructure required to support growth.
• Since 1st July 2026, a further requirement applies in cases where a recently adopted local plan was examined against an earlier version of the NPPF and its housing requirement is less than 80% per cent of the new LHN figure. Since the housing requirement in the adopted GNLP 2024 is 78% of the most recent LHN, from 1st July 2026 a 20% buffer, effectively requiring a six-year land supply, applies. The purpose of this is to close the gap between older plan targets such as those in the adopted GNLP and the new higher standard method LHN figures which must be included in the GNLP 2045. This further emphasises the clear expectation from the government that local planning authorities should plan for additional housing.
• Having an up-to-date local plan will provide greater certainty thus encouraging continued investment in the area both from government and the private sector.
• Commencing the Local Plan 2045 now provides the ideal opportunity for the Greater Norwich authorities to shape where development happens by considering further growth options to 2045. This includes the potential allocation of additional brownfield sites in Norwich and of a site or sites for new settlements. This would provide a strong legacy for the future and would form an important part of the forthcoming SDS for Norfolk and Suffolk.
• The GNLP 2045 will be part of the new planning system and will supersede development management policies in the three districts, which were adopted over a decade ago. A new plan will allow the replacement of outdated policies and the integration of those local policies we may need to retain and update. This means policies covering local environmental, economic, social and infrastructure needs can be considered in plan-making to complement the new national plan-making and decision-making policies.

13In summary, the GNLP 2045 will provide our area with an up-to-date local plan with additional housing allocations as soon as possible, along with clear and sustainable local policies that will work with new national policies to promote environmental protection, investment in our economy and provision of the jobs and infrastructure we need.

14A Scoping Consultation is the first engagement stage in the plan-making process under Regulation 20 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026.

15Government guidance states that scoping consultations must ask for views on:

• what to include in the Local Plan and any other matters that the LPAs want to consult on (this is in part A of this consultation)
• how to approach future Local Plan engagement (this is in part B of this consultation).

16Representations must be invited from defined general and specific consultation bodies but can be made by anyone, including local residents.

17This introductory section of the document explains the background to the consultation.

18As this consultation is the initial consultation on the GNLP 2045 and evidence has not yet been collected to inform decision making, it consists of high-level questions and does not cover sites. Sites will be consulted on in the Regulation 23 consultation in June and July 2027.

19This consultation is primarily aimed at representatives of stakeholders such as environmental bodies, infrastructure providers, business groups and town and parish councils. Responses from members of the public are also welcomed.

20To comply with guidance and regulations, the introduction is followed by part A of the document which covers the scope of the plan, and is titled What should the GNLP 2045 include? Part A is divided into the following sections:

• A1 Developing the Vision and Objectives of the GNLP 2045 – this section seeks views on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for our area and how this will inform the emerging vision and objectives for the new plan.
• A2 Indicative structure and content of the GNLP 2045 – this contains explanatory text and questions. It consists of:
  • Section A 2.1 which covers the proposed broad structure of the GNLP 2045.
  • Section A 2.2 on the growth strategy and settlement hierarchy. This is the section which we anticipate is likely to be of significant interest to many consultees at this stage of plan-making.
  • Section A 2.3 is on how site allocations will be consulted on later in plan-making.
  • Section A 2.4 which includes detailed technical text and questions on Local Policy Issues, covering housing, the economy, infrastructure and the environment. This sets out how locally important issues could be addressed through the new plan taking account of recent national reforms, including the introduction of national decision-making policies.
• A3 Evidence – this sets out our assumptions on the evidence that will need to be collected to inform the GNLP 2045 and asks questions about this.

21Again, in compliance with new guidance and regulations, Part B – Consulting on Plan-making covers engagement. This part of the consultation requests feedback on our proposed engagement strategy, reflecting the move away from formal Statements of Community Involvement and the shift to more inclusive digital first participation.

22The is also a glossary of terms, a final “catch all” question so you can respond on plan-making matters that have not been directly addressed in this consultation and an easy reference list of all the questions asked at the end of the consultation. Consultation questions following explanatory text are also embedded in different sections of part A and part B of this document.

23Consultees are welcome to respond to as many or as few questions as they wish to. Instructions on how to respond to the consultation are in paragraphs 30 to 32 below.

24Work has been undertaken on key themes relevant to planning for our area’s future through a series of topic papers. The papers cover housing, the environment, the economy, the settlement hierarchy, and infrastructure. As it is currently anticipated that the whole plan will address climate change, this key issue is not covered by a dedicated topic paper, but is the golden thread running throughout the topic papers and subsequently the plan.

25The topic papers include a summary of existing policy context, new and emerging policy or legislative changes, and changing national and local circumstances. The papers then identify a series of key issues that need to be considered as part of the GNLP 2045 preparation.

26The topic papers have informed the questions and supporting text in this consultation. They will be updated as we progress through plan making to provide an evidential background and explanation for policy development.

27Under the new plan-making system all new local plans must be prepared within a statutory 30-month process. There is a strong likelihood that there will be additional consultation on proposed modifications to the plan during the examination which will be likely to extend plan making to around 36 months. This is a compressed and closely regulated timeline in comparison with the past, which is intended to make plan making more efficient, consistent and transparent.

28To support this focussed plan-making process, councils must publish and maintain an up‑to‑date Local Plan Timetable which replaces the former Local Development Schemes. Greater Norwich’s timetable was published on June 30^th here. An adapted version for this scoping consultation is set out in table 1 below. Any required updates to the timetable will be published as plan-making progresses.

Table 1 – Adapted Local Plan 2045 timetable for this scoping consultation

29The formal Notice to Commence preparation of a new local plan was also published on June 30th and is available here.

30To provide more detail on the timetable above, the consultations on the GNLP 2045 will consist of:

• This Regulation 20 Scoping Consultation from 17 August – 28 September 2026 which includes high level questions on the new plan’s growth strategy, on what local policies we should include in this plan to support new national policies and questions on how people wish to be engaged in plan preparation. This consultation does not cover site allocations. While the statutory requirement is for a minimum of a three-week scoping consultation, the Greater Norwich authorities are holding this consultation over a six-week period to enable greater engagement.
• The Regulation 23 Consultation on the Proposed Local Plan Content and Evidence in June and July 2027. This will cover different growth options including a preferred option based on evidence and assessments. It will include sites that we propose to include in our plan. This will be the main chance to have your say on the plan, including its suggested site allocations.
• The Regulation 27 Consultation on the Proposed Local Plan in April and May 2028. This will be the draft growth strategy which will subsequently be examined. It will include site allocations. Its content will be based on legal requirements, national policy, further evidence and assessments, consultation responses and consideration of feedback from key stakeholders.

31After an examination in late 2028 and early 2029, adoption of the GNLP 2045 is anticipated to be in April 2029.

32In line with national requirements, the Greater Norwich authorities are taking a digital-first approach for all stages of preparation of the new local plan. This aim of this approach is to speed up the plan-making process, and to allow the Greater Norwich authorities to assess responses more effectively. We can do this by:

• Saving time on administrative tasks
• Gaining greater insights into responses and information, such as being able to analyse comments by theme or using mapping tools to represent issues spatially

33We strongly encourage respondents to use our digital platform to engage with this consultation to help up us achieve these aims and deliver the best local plan for our community in a streamlined way.

34However, we understand that using digital tools may not be accessible to everyone. If you need to submit your comments in an alternative format you can respond via the following channels:

• By post to: The Greater Norwich Local Plan 2045 Team (Floor 5), County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich, NR1 2DH
• By email to: GNLP@norfolk.gov.uk

If you have any questions about responding to the consultation or you have any issues using the online platform, please contact us on GNLP@norfolk.gov.uk or 01603 306603 and the team will be happy to assist.

1A housing requirement is the minimum number of homes that a local plan expects to be provided during the plan period. A key part of producing any local plan is establishing this housing requirement and then seeking to provide the allocations and windfall policies to meet the requirement.

2In recent years, establishing the housing requirement was an involved, often controversial and sometimes time-consuming process in plan making. To date, Greater Norwich’s joint local plans (the Joint Core Strategy (JCS, adopted 2011) and the Greater Norwich Local Plan (GNLP, adopted 2024)) have fully met their housing requirement with a buffer to ensure delivery.

3Under the new plan-making system, Greater Norwich must publish the housing requirement when we launch our consultation on our Regulation 27 proposed local plan, which is currently scheduled for summer 2028. We must follow government guidance on establishing a local plan housing requirement which is here. The new approach set out in guidance should help to streamline the plan-making process and to deliver more homes nationally and locally.

4The first stage of establishing the housing requirement is to assess the local housing need (LHN). The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) expects local planning authorities (LPAs) to follow the standard method for assessing local housing need. The housing need figure is based on the most up to date data on the existing housing stock and on affordability data. The LHN calculation is set out in the guidance linked above.

5The December 2024 NPPF was accompanied by local housing need figures for all LPAs, including a joint LHN figure for those planning authorities such as Greater Norwich which had planned together previously. The government guidance says that for joint plans “… the housing need for the defined area should at least be the sum of the local housing need for each local planning authority within the area”. The figure for Greater Norwich in 2024 was 2,590 homes per annum (Broadland 868, Norwich 779 and South Norfolk 943).

6The guidance also says that “Strategic policy-making authorities will need to calculate their local housing need figure at the start of the plan-making process. This number should be kept under review and revised where appropriate”.

7This first review of the LHN at the start of the GNLP 2045 plan-making process has calculated that the LHN for Greater Norwich in May 2026 remains at 2,590 homes per annum. Using the government’s standard method, Annex 1 sets out the calculation of this figure.

8The figures by district are set out in table 1 below:

Table 1 LHN in December 2024 and May 2026

9The LHN will be kept under review and revised where appropriate during plan-making. It will inevitably change somewhat as the inputs are variable, but the magnitude of changes is, barring a housing market crash or similar, likely to be fairly small.

10The Government guidance states that “local housing need calculated using the standard method may be relied upon for plan making for a period of 2 years from the time that the plan is submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for examination”. We therefore anticipate that the LHN will not need to be amended after plan submission.

11A separate but parallel process will take place on how evidence on land availability, constraints and any other relevant matters should be considered in moving from the GNLP’s LHN to its housing requirement. The site selection methodology supporting this is set out in Housing and economic land availability assessment guidance. This will establish whether the Greater Norwich LHN can be met within our area to assist in identifying the GNLP 2045 housing requirement.

12Government policy and guidance encourage LPAs to consider the merits of planning for higher growth if, for example, this would seek to reflect economic growth aspirations. Where authorities plan for higher growth, this should not normally have to be thoroughly justified at examination.

13There is also the potential that any unmet housing need from neighbouring authorities may need to be included in the Greater Norwich housing requirement. Evidence is being collected to assess whether this will be the case. If this is the case, it will not be known for some time to come.

Summarised national guidance on how the minimum LHN figure is established using the standard method is as follows:

Step 1 - Setting the baseline – 0.8% of existing housing stock for the area

This calculation sets the baseline using the value of existing housing stock for Greater Norwich using Table 125: dwelling stock estimates by local authority district 2025 unrounded figures. The baseline is 0.8% of the existing housing stock for each district, using the most recent data published.

Step 2 - An adjustment to take account of affordability

The housing stock baseline figure for each district (as calculated in step 1) is then adjusted based on the affordability of the district.

The affordability data used is the median workplace-based affordability ratios, published by the Office for National Statistics at a local authority level. The mean average affordability over the five most recent years for which data is available is used.

The adjustment factor is calculated as: ((five-year average affordability ratio)-5)/5×0.95+1

The standard method calculations for Greater Norwich in May 2026 are as follows:

Broadland calculation:

Step 1: 0.8% of 63,169 = 505.352

Step 2: (8.86-5)/5×0.95+1 = 1.733

The minimum housing need figure is 505.352 x 1.733 = 875.775rounded to 876

Norwich calculation:

Step 1: 0.8% of 68,856 = 550.848

Step 2: (7.13-5)/5×0.95+1 = 1.405

The minimum housing need figure is 550.884 x 1.405 = 773.941rounded to 774

South Norfolk calculation:

Step 1: 0.8% of 67,771 = 542.168

Step 2: (8.86-5)/5×0.95+1 = 1.733

The minimum housing need figure is 542.168 x 1.733 = 939.577 rounded to 940

The Greater Norwich minimum housing need figure is 876+774+940 = 2,590