News from West Suffolk Council – Local Plan 2045 – #ShapeTomorrowTogether

West Suffolk Local Plan 2045 scoping consultation now open

 I am writing to you as we are today launching a scoping consultation as part of the initial stages in preparation of the new West Suffolk Local Plan.

Why are we starting work in a new local plan now having adopted the current one in July last year?

The local plan making regulations require West Suffolk to formally begin local plan this month. This is because our current local plan housing requirement is less than 80 per cent of the government’s latest assessment of housing need for West Suffolk. This also follows on from the engagement, shaping and adoption of West Suffolk Council’s Housing, Homelessness Reduction and Rough Sleeping Strategy which also identified the need for more homes, particularly affordable housing, to be built in order to meet the needs of West Suffolk’s communities.

What happens if we don’t work towards and adopt a new local plan?

Progressing a new local plan is also required so that the West Suffolk can maintain a 5-year land supply which is crucial for us to maintain a plan led approach and resist speculative development.

If we don’t carry out this work, new homes will still be built. What we would lose would be the ability to say no to some of the speculative development that would come forward and some of the protection that we are currently able to provide to our countryside. We would also no doubt see piecemeal development which would make it much harder to secure developer funds towards critical infrastructure such as community facilities, education, health, and transport.

What is the scoping consultation?

We have already held a call for sites consultation and are now beginning a scoping consultation from 9am on 16 June 2026 to 5pm on 28 July 2026. This is important as it marks the first opportunity for residents and stakeholders to contribute their views at the earliest stage of the plan-making process.

The online survey at https://westsuffolk.inconsult.uk/Scoping_Consultation_2026/consultationHome

includes a combination of free-text and multiple-choice questions. These cover how people would like to be engaged going forward during the preparation of the plan, as well as their views on what is important to them and what the local plan should contain. The feedback received will help inform the first draft of the Local Plan to be published in spring 2027, as well as the development of a new community engagement strategy…

Kind regards,

Cllr Frank Stennett

Cabinet Member for Planning

West Suffolk Council