Dudley Borough Local Plan Scoping Consultation Document

5. Proposed scope of the new Local Plan

The scope of the new Dudley Borough Local Plan will be informed by the national planning policy and legislative framework as well as local issues which require a planning policy response.

The new Dudley Borough Local Plan will have to include and consider the following:

• policies in relation to the amount, type and location of, and timetable for, development in the borough.
• a vision for the future, setting out how the borough is intended to change over the period of the plan and no more than ten measurable outcomes, to monitor progress towards meeting the vision.
• secure the mitigation of, and adaptation to, climate change.
• the local nature recovery strategy that relates to all or part of the borough.
• an assessment of the amount, and type, of housing that is needed in the borough, including affordable housing.

The draft NPPF (2025) Policy PM2 ‘Local Plans’ and Policy PM3 ‘Minerals and Waste Plans’ reflect these requirements, with local plans being required to set out a positive vision and spatial strategy (for a period of no less than 15 years from the point of adoption of the plan) which supports the delivery of the spatial development strategy for their area, and should set out specific proposals for accommodating development needs and improving the environment at a local level. The contributions expected from development towards on- and off-site infrastructure should be identified. Local Plans should also set policies where these support the delivery of specific allocated sites (to set clear expectations of what is required in terms of layout, infrastructure and design) or where these address particular local issues in accordance with draft NPPF (2025) Policy PM6.

Policy S2 ‘Producing a spatial strategy’ of the draft NPPF (2025) requires the plan to set out a spatial strategy for the location of development and where land should be protected or enhanced for specific purposes, including:

• Identifying the settlements within the plan area and their boundaries
• The location and boundary of town centres, or other specific areas where particular approaches to development apply
• Land that is protected or proposed to be enhanced for specific purposes (such as habitat improvement)
• Sites allocated for development to meet the identified need for housing and other uses in the area and for local and strategic infrastructure.

As the Minerals and Waste Planning Authority, the Council will need to address these matters via the new Local Plan. A single Local Plan will be produced including these matters, rather than a separate Minerals and Waste Plan.

The Local Plan will also be supported by a Policy Map which will identify the geographical application of the policies within the plan e.g., site allocations and designations.

The Council has undertaken a review of the Dudley Local Plan policies against the draft NPPF (2025) National Development Management Policies (NDMP) to identify which policies may no longer be required in the new Dudley Borough Local Plan, with these matters being addressed via the NDMP policies (expected to be published in 2026). A summary of the Council’s initial view is provided in Appendix 1. This is subject to change dependent upon the final version of the updated NPPF. We would welcome stakeholder views on our initial assessment, and which policies may no longer be required.

The scope of the emerging SDS will influence the scope of the new Dudley Borough Local Plan, depending on which matters are covered by the SDS and/or may need further, more detailed local policies. This is uncertain at this stage; however, it will become clearer as both plans progress.

As part of the drive towards more streamlined, standardised and digital planning, the government is producing templates and data standards for Local Plans under the new plan-making process. These templates and standards may also influence the scope and format of the new Dudley Borough Local Plan.

The scope of the new Dudley Borough Local Plan will therefore be subject to change as the SDS progresses and as new national policy, and guidance, emerges.

Under the new plan-making system, Supplementary Planning Documents (guidance documents for a range of topics such as developer contributions and design) and other documents supporting existing Local Plans under the old system (such as Area Action Plans or development briefs) will no longer be produced. The content of these will either need to be incorporated into the new Local Plan, where appropriate, become guidance notes or there is the scope for ‘supplementary plans’ to be produced.

The draft NPPF (2025) states supplementary plans may be used to address specific issues, where these are not covered by the development plan for the area or the Framework. They should be limited to locally specific design standards or situations where the authority needs to respond positively and quickly to unanticipated changes in their area, between plan-making cycles, for specific sites. The Council would welcome views on whether any supplementary plans should be considered to inform the scope of the new Dudley Borough Local Plan.