The Local Plan Review (LPR)

The Government requires every Local Plan to be reviewed at least once every five years. Our current Local Plan sets out our planning policies up to 2026, and we are undertaking a review of our Local Plan to cover the period up to 2039. The review is termed the 'Local Plan Review'. 

Regularly reviewing the Local Plan ensures that it continues to look to the future and is able to meet the current and emerging needs of the district. It means that new opportunities and challenges can be addressed - such as the climate emergency and the changes to how we live and work as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

Click here to watch our video about the West Berkshire Local Plan Review.

Current progress

The LPR was submitted to the Secretary of State on 31 March 2023. You can access the submission documents here.

The LPR is currently being independently examined by a Planning Inspector, William Fieldhouse BA(Hons) MA MRTPI, who was appointed by the Secretary of State. The Inspector's role is to assess whether the LPR has been prepared in accordance with the Duty to Cooperate, legal and procedural requirements, and whether it is sound (positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy). If the Inspector concludes that the LPR is sound and meets the necessary tests, it can then be adopted by the Council and will form the Local Plan for the District.

Examination hearing sessions were held in May, June and October 2024 to discuss a number of issues upon which the Planning Inspector required clarification. The purpose of the discussions at the hearings was for the Inspector, the Council and participants to gain the fullest possible understanding of any Main Modifications that may be required. Main Modifications are changes that are considered necessary by the Inspector to be sound and legally compliant.

Based on the outcomes of the hearing sessions and the additional work undertaken, at the request of the Inspector, the Council has now prepared a Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications to the LPR, together with a Schedule of Proposed Changes to the Policies Map arising as a result of the Proposed Main Modifications to the Plan. The Inspector has made it clear that at this stage of the Examination, he has concluded that the proposed Main Modifications are all necessary to address soundness issues and will be effective in doing so. However, this is without prejudice to his final conclusions which will ultimately be made having regard to representations in response to the public consultation, in addition to all of the evidence currently before him.

It is important that any proposed Main Modifications do not undermine the sustainability process that has informed the preparation of the LPR. The Council has therefore updated the Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/SEA) Report and produced an addendum to the Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA), both of which accompany the LPR.

Any proposed Main Modifications to the LPR require consultation, and the Inspector has instructed the Council to progress to consultation. Between Friday 6 December 2024 and 11.59pm on Friday 31 January 2025, we are consulting on the:

• Schedule of Proposed Main Modifications to the West Berkshire Local Plan Review 2022-2039 (November 2024)
• Schedule of the Proposed Changes to the Policies Map (Updated 17 December 2024). It should be noted that Annex K (PMC12) in the Schedule of Proposed Changes to the Policies Map - November 2024, published on 6 December 2024, did not show the correct site boundary for Henwick Park in accordance with Main Modification 42 (MM42). An updated version containing the correct boundary was published on 17 December 2024.
• Updated Sustainability Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment (SA/SEA) Report - Proposed Main Modifications (November 2024)
• Addendum to the Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) of the Proposed Main Modifications (November 2024)

To view the documents and find out further information about the consultation, please visit our dedicated consultation webpage. 

You can find further details about the examination to date here.
 

Supporting evidence

The LPR must be supported by a robust evidence base. A number of studies and assessments have been undertaken and information has been collected to inform the plan. You can find the studies and assessments prepared to date here.
 

Previous consultations

We have undertaken four previous consultations which have fed into the preparation of the LPR. You can find details of the consultations here.
 

Frequently asked questions

We have prepared answers to the most frequently asked questions to assist with the understanding of the LPR. You can view the frequently asked questions here.
 

Facebook Live

On Monday 8 March 2021 we held a Facebook Live on the LPR. The video can be viewed below and you can read the questions we received prior and during the Facebook Live here. 

On 29 November 2021, a response from the Acting Chief Executive to a letter from a member of the public regarding the proposed Local Plan Review allocation at North East Thatcham was published. You can  view the response here [921KB] .