News and Updates

Local Plan and Local Councils involvement

This is the text of an email from Cornwall Council that was sent to all town and parish councils via Cornwall Association of Local Councils (CALC) in March 2026.  It sets out how we plan to engage with town and parish councils and to make sure that they are involved in shaping the next Cornwall Local Plan:

Firstly, we fully respect and understand the wish of your member Councils to engage and contribute to the Local Plan.  We welcome that and the commitment that individual Councils make to listening, contributing and working with us.  We also know that burden is sometimes borne disproportionally by some individual members within Councils too – and we appreciate their passion and interest especially.

We understand that your members would like clarity on how they will be engaged with the Local Plan, as well as clarity on routes for contact, and why things might feel a bit different this time compared to the last Local Plan.

I apologise for the length of this note, but hope it goes some way to covering those points.

We recognise that there are clear differences between larger towns (significant precept, staffing level and asset base) and smaller parishes (less infrastructure, lower capacity). Impacts of developments can also vary and the local context is important in assessing this.  We have to somehow navigate all those circumstances.

In summary, our proposal has three elements.  Firstly, that we will continue to offer collective briefings via CALC (including the Planning Partnership and Large Councils Group) as and when you invite us or when a particular issue emerges that we think needs flagging.  Secondly,  we will continue what is effectively a standing offer to attend Town or Parish meetings by request.  If that demand turns in to significant calls on time to attend multiple parishes in a short space of time, we might need to review with CALC how best to approach that.  Thirdly, and perhaps most formally, we think the new Neighbourhood Priority Statements provide the strongest, clearest and most efficient route to collect and collate local Council input into the Local Plan.  We also have a proposal for a further round of workshops focussed on towns, which we outline later in this letter in relation to Neighbourhood Priority Statement work.

I understand some Councils have also asked why engagement on this Local Plan differs to the last one. 

On one level, we don’t think we ever stopped having conversations or dialogue with many towns or parishes about planning and policy, especially in places where NDP conversations have continued.  All those documents still form part of the development plan, even if the weight given to some policies is being overtaken by national ones.  

However, in terms of direct comparison in terms of process, we have fundamentally different guidance and expectations from Government this time round.  In the last Local Plan there was a lot of incremental work which fed in to town transport plans, allocations (via the Cornwall Site Allocations DPD or neighbourhood plans), and all the other wider work on neighbourhood plans too.   This time the Government require us to a) find sites for a larger number of houses in the plan period; b) allocate to a much greater level of granularity (i.e. encompassing smaller sites and smaller settlements than last time); c) to do site allocation via the Local Plan in a single document at the same time as all the other policy preparation;  and d) to do all that and get it to examination within a 30 month window rather than the 6 years we took to agree the strategic policies, the further 2 years to finish the Site Allocations DPD, then the further 4 years to secure the Climate Emergency DPD, or the many separate NDP processes that we have collectively run and concluded over the last 15 years.

Therefore, we will have to inevitably analyse sites in a more prescribed and filtered way, and we don’t have the option in the same way of doing it over many years including via many different NDPs or a separate Site Allocations DPD.  There is immense pride in some NDPs, but they also took huge amounts of volunteer time and commitment.  We hope that the NPS route provides a clearer more achievable template for feedback and policy development, and evidence around infrastructure, including transport.  So, in some ways, for the majority of places, we hope that it is a more proportionate and structured conversation.  Also, the evidence of NDPs and other work is not lost – it all still exists, especially in terms of the local transport and green infrastructure studies which are a good platform for updating from.

Taking the NPS point forward, we think that Neighbourhood Priority Statements will be a useful vehicle for towns and parishes to inform the Local Plan.  We have been undertaking some pilot studies and are grateful to the towns and parishes involved.  As a result, and taking into account feedback, we are expecting to roll the NPS process out to all parishes in spring.

Our experience in the pilot has been that NPS are relatively quick to produce (several parishes have completed them within 9 months) and the parishes who have taken part have found that they have been a really good way to engage with their communities and to think about what is important for their places in the future.

However, there are some caveats:

1. NPS’s were conceived by the last Government but the approach for them is not clearly articulated in latest guidance.  However, we think the principle is still good and so are continuing with them. 
2. they do not form policy in their own right as NDPs do.  They can only inform policy in the Local Plan.  Practically that means contributing to evidence for strategic policies that are already proposed, or acting as a catalyst for, new strategic policies if a trend emerges. But, importantly they can also form an evidence base of local infrastructure needs.  There may be rare occasions when there is a specific local issue of such consequence it needs its own policy.
3. they cannot allocate or prevent allocation – they can provide context about constraints which can be taken in to account in allocations, but that difference is really important to be clear about.
4. there is no funding – but, given how efficient the pilots are, that is not currently thought to be a barrier and the team have resources which are available, including templates, precedents from the pilots and standard surveys.

In summary, therefore, we think NPSs will be the main way for towns and parishes to feed in to the Local Plan.  We are also working on a further round of facilitated workshops for next winter focussed on towns (but we recognise that in many places it could also be helpful to involve directly adjoining parishes via a cluster approach) to progress to the next level of more place specific detail.  We have capacity for 24 sessions.  We are preparing a briefing note on how we think this could practically work, and would intend to make better use of the local expertise and knowledge of clerks in arranging those sessions (in response to some of the feedback from last years events). 

Some Councils have also asked for clarification on how best to contact us.  General/new enquiries are best via neighbourhoodplanning@cornwall.gov.uk and we can re-direct from there.  However, relationships are important and we accept that many parishes or towns will be comfortable emailing colleagues like Colleen O’Sullivan, Rob Lacey or me depending on who they have historically or most recently dealt with and that is fine too.

If there is further clarification required then please do let us know.

I should also say that we are expecting a paper to go to Cabinet on 18th March to set out the intended timetable for the of the Local Plan now that some of the relevant regulations have been published by Government.  This paper will also include the first initial report on the community engagement sessions of the last few months, with a more detailed report to follow shortly once the team have managed to finishing collating everything.

Published: 17 March 2026

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Published: 22 January 2026

Calls for Sites

The draft assessments from the suggestions received through our Call for Sites are now on our Calls for Sites page. 

We have emailed your local council a survey on the sites received and the site assessments.  If you have already provided comments these will have been considered in the site assessment. 

The assessments do not change the planning status of a site.  The calls for sites are building evidence which will help inform the next Local Plan.

The Call for Sites remains open.  We welcome new submissions on land suitable for development from all stakeholders. 

You do not need to submit land within an existing allocation or a Neighbourhood Priorities Statement unless you have new details/updates you would like to provide.

We have also launched a new Call for Large Sites which is for land capable of the sustainable development of at least 800 homes and facilities. 

All stakeholders are welcome to forward suggestions.  Details are available on our Calls for Sites page.

Calls for Sites

Published: 2 December 2025 

Neighbourhood planning in a time of change

In January 2025 we updated you on the publication of the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 12 December 2024. 

Our new housing need is now 4,421 for Cornwall instead of the 2,707 that we had planned for under the current Cornwall Local Plan.  As a result some of our local plan policies (and neighbourhood plans) are now out of date.  

We have updated our guidance on neighbourhood plans (NDPs) that are protected under paragraph 14 of the NPPF.  This protection means that the housing policies in these plans carry full weight in planning decisions.  This includes their development boundaries.

Before, we included NDPs that allowed space for new housing within their boundaries.  Recent appeals show that only plans that allocate specific housing sites in their policies are protected.

Plans not listed have out-of-date housing policies so they carry less weight in planning decisions.

Protected NDPs

Guidance on how the changes may impact neighbourhood plans 

In the meantime, to help guide decisions, we have published an Interim Policy Position Statement.  

This document gives clarity to you and us as the decision maker and should be read alongside the NPPF. 

The relevant local plan and neighbourhood plan policies for the area should also be read.  This will help guide pre-application and decision-making processes in the period between February 2025 and the later stages of production of the emerging local plan. 

This will likely to be around 2027/28.

Interim Policy Position Statement

The document has been developed in a period of significant changes to planning. 

It may need to be updated or amended periodically to reflect further changes or case law established. 

When this happens;

• we will update our website to make you aware. 
• if changes are significant we will formally consult on the changes

Over the course of this year we have been starting to prepare for the next Cornwall Local Plan, as well as understanding what the changes mean for decisions. 

We are currently arranging face-to-face sessions across all Community Area Partnerships from late summer to discuss the Cornwall Local Plan. 

Please keep any eye out for a session coming to your area. 

This will be on top of our neighbourhood priority statement pilot.

Published: 11 November 2025

Neighbourhood planning funding

The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government has confirmed that following the spending review it is unable to commission new neighbourhood planning support services for 2025 onwards. 

This means that no new grant funding or technical support will be available to neighbourhood plan groups.

Technical support that has already been awarded will continue to be provided.  However it must be completed before the end of March 2026.

We know that this will be disappointing if you are developing a neighbourhood plan or thinking about starting one. 

Our advice would be to continue if your plan is at an advanced stage. 

If you are at the earlier stages, we'd advise you consider whether it is possible to complete the plan without financial support from Government. 

Also consider producing a Neighbourhood Priorities Statement (NPS) instead.  We are currently running pilots with some local councils on NPS. 

More on the Neighbourhood Priorities Statement

We will publish more information about the decision, as it becomes available.

Published: 24 June 2025

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Fund

Having a list of prioritised projects in your neighbourhood plan (NDP) can help support applications to the CIL Fund from within your community. 

Development means new houses or new non-residential buildings.  When projects apply for CIL Funding, they must be able to show that there is local support for their project and how it links to the NDP (if there is one). 

Being able to show need and support for a project through inclusion in a NDP, can also help to guide collection and spend of other developer contributions, such as public open space funding. 

An extra CIL benefit is that where a Parish has an adopted NDP the local Council will receive 25% of the CIL received from development in that area.  Areas without an NDP receive only 15%.  

Cornwall Council publish information on how much CIL and s106 developer contributions are collected and spent each year in an Infrastructure Funding Statement. 

These can be found on our developer contributions page.

Developer contributions page

Published: 17 June 2024

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 

The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act (LURA) received Royal Assent on 26 October 2023. 

It will make changes to the planning system and set out new requirements for the preparation of Local Plans.  It will also introduce National Development Management Policies for England next year. 

We expect consultation on the content of these policies soon.  The LURA supports Neighbourhood Plans and introduces a new 'Neighbourhood Priorities Statement' (NPS). 

These will offer an easier way for communities to set out their local priorities.  Local Authorities will need to take into account the content of NPS when producing a Local Plan. 

We expect more detail on these changes later this year.  The Planning Advice Service has also produced a useful page of further information.

Planning Advice Service website

Published: 6 November 2023

Support health and wellbeing

People in some places in Cornwall are dying earlier than they should.  Over the last decade inequalities have widened and the amount of time people spend in poor health has increased since 2010.

To create healthy communities, we need all the right building blocks in place:

• stable jobs
• quality housing and surroundings.

These building blocks give people a solid frame to withstand life’s shocks and challenges. In some areas these building blocks have weakened.

Neighbourhood Development Plans can play a vital role in ensuring communities have the right “building blocks” to support health and wellbeing. Find out more at Spatial Planning for Health.

Published: 28 March 2023

Climate Emergency Development Plan 

The Cornwall Climate Emergency DPD now forms part of the local development plan for Cornwall. 

The policies in the plan will help us to act on climate change by using them to make decisions on all planning applications in Cornwall. 

The DPD has policies on things like renewable energy and sustainable buildings.  Policies also encourage wildlife and trees and will help to manage flood risk.

All new neighbourhood plan policies will need to be in conformity with the policies in the CEDPD.

For existing NDPs, where there is a conflict with a policy in your neighbourhood plan, the policies in the CEDPD will take precedence.

You may want to review the policies in the CEDPD so that you are aware of any conflict.

If you need more advice, please get in touch at neighbourhoodplanning@cornwall.gov.uk

Published: 28 March 2023