Introduction
The local plan timetable sets out the key milestones for the preparation and adoption of the new Cheshire East Local Plan.
The timetable has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (as amended) 2004 and the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026.
Cheshire East Council is both the local planning authority and the minerals and waste planning authority. The new local plan will be a single local plan covering all relevant matters including matters relating to minerals and waste. This local plan timetable has also been prepared in accordance with the regulations relating to a minerals and waste plan.
The local plan timetable came into effect on 12 June 2026.
Scope and contents of the local plan
Context
The new local plan will be produced under the government’s reformed planning system under the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act and changes to the planning system introduced through a revised National Planning Policy Framework.
This means that it will be produced within a 30 month formal preparation period a dn will be in a predominantly digital format. It will replace the existing Local Plan Strategy, Site Allocations and Development Policies Document, and saved policies from the Cheshire Waste Local Plan and Cheshire Minerals Local Plan.
Cheshire East is within the area now covered by the Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority, with a Mayoral election scheduled for May 2027. The Mayoral Combined Authority will become a Strategic Planning body under the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 and will lead on the preparation of a Spatial Development Strategy for Cheshire and Warrington. This will set out a high-level strategy for Cheshire and Warrington’s long-term growth and the major infrastructure required to support this. Our new local plan will need to be in general conformity with the SDS.
Matters to be addressed
The plan will set out a vision and spatial strategy for development in Cheshire East, with a focus on site allocations and local policies, including those for design. Some existing development management policies will be replaced by the national decision-making policies in the National Planning Policy Framework.
It will also incorporate all required minerals and waste policies.
The scope and content of the Cheshire East Local Plan will be reviewed following the scoping consultation and the subsequent consultation on the proposed plan content and evidence, with the local plan timetable updated where necessary.
Geographic coverage
The local plan will cover Cheshire East Borough, except the part within the Peak District National Park. The area the plan will cover is shown on the map below.
Supplementary plans
The existing local plan has a number of supplementary planning documents which relate to it which provide additional policy guidance on a number of specific planning related topics. These will be replaced by Supplementary Plans in the new plan making system. We will therefore need to consider whether there is detail from our existing supplementary planning document which can be embedded in the updated local plan and whether there is the need for more detailed requirements to be included in future supplementary plans to be prepared once the updated local plan has been adopted.
When the council has confirmed whether it will be preparing supplementary plans, these will be included in an update to the local plan timetable. For each supplementary plan, the subject matter and geographical area, site or sites to which each of those supplementary plans is to relate will be confirmed. It will also be confirmed whether any supplementary plan is to be prepared jointly with another local planning authority. This also applies to any future minerals and waste supplementary plan.
Timetable for preparation of the local plan
An overview of the new plan-making process is provided below.
The formal stage of plan making is required to be completed within a 30-month time period, but we must publish the local plan timetable and a notice of commencement of plan making a minimum of 4 months prior to the start of the formal 30 month period. During this initial preparatory period, a scoping consultation must be conducted on matters including what the plan should contain and how future engagement on the plan should be carried out.
Gateway 1 makes the start of the 30-month period. For gateway 1, the council is required to prepare and publish a self-assessment summary which sets out details of the readiness for local plan preparation.
Consultation is then undertaken on the proposed local plan content and evidence, including: a proposed vision for the area and proposed measurable outcomes; proposed aims and objectives of the plan; a summary of the proposed approach in relation to planning policies (which could include proposed site allocation policies); a summary of the evidence intended to support the plan; and any other further supporting information considered appropriate.
The plan then proceeds to Gateway 2 where the council seeks observations and advice from an appointed assessor, including: progress towards preparing a sound plan, in line with the tests of soundness set out in the National Planning Policy Framework; meeting some of the Gateway 3 prescribed requirements; and what further work could be carried out by the council.
Consultation is then undertaken on the proposed local plan and supporting submission documents, including: the proposed local plan; the map of proposed local plan policies; details of the evidence gathered to support the proposed local plan; details relating to the scoping consultation and consultation on proposed local plan content and evidence, including a summary of the main issues raised by respondents and how those main issues have been addressed in the proposed local plan.
The council has the opportunity to make any amendments to the plan before progressing to Gateway 3, where an appointed assessor provides observations on whether the prescribed requirements set out in the regulations are met in relation to the proposed local plan.
When the gateway 3 assessor concludes that the proposed local plan meets the prescribed requirements, then the local planning authority must submit it for independent examination. The purpose of the examination is to determine whether it is reasonable to conclude that the local plan is sound, in line with the tests of soundness set out in the National Planning Policy Framework.
Where the appointed examiner identifies that further work is required for the plan to be sound, and decides that the examination is to be paused, the regulations confirm that the maximum length of the pause is 6 months.
The local planning authority must publish the recommendations and reasons received from the examiner as soon as is reasonably practicable after receipt and notify any person who requested to be notified of this. Subject to the recommendations of the examiner, the local planning authority will then proceed to adoption of the plan.
Key milestones for the preparation of the plan
The key milestones for the preparation of the Cheshire East Local Plan are shown in the table below. The ‘plan event’ is the plan event as set out in the government’s data standard and as reported in the timetable csv data file available on the council website.
| Key milestone | Plan event | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Council makes notice of intention to commence local plan preparation available under regulation 19(1) and 44(1) | publish-notice-intention-commence | 12/06/2026 |
| Council makes a notice of scoping consultation available under regulation 20(1)(b) and 45(1)(b) | scoping-consultation-start | 21/07/2026 |
| The date on or before which representations on the scoping consultation will have to be received by the council in accordance with regulation 20(4) and 45(4) | scoping-consultation-end | 01/09/2026 |
| The date on which the council will make its self-assessment summary available under regulation 21(3) and 46 (3) (Gateway 1) | gateway-1-self-assessment | 30/10/2026 |
| The date on which the council will make a notice of plan content and evidence consultation available under regulation 23(1)(a) and 48(1)a | plan-content-evidence-consultation-start | 05/07/2027 |
| The date on or before which representations will have to be received by the council in accordance with regulation 23(4) and 48(4) (consultation on proposed local plan content and evidence) | plan-content-evidence-consultation-end | 16/08/2027 |
| The date on which observations and advice will be sought under section 15CA(3) of the Act in accordance with regulation 26 and 51(Gateway 2) | gateway-2-advice-sought | 31/01/2028 |
| The date on which the council will make a notice of proposed local plan consultation available under regulation 27(1)(a) 52(1)(a) | proposed-plan-consultation-start | 03/05/2028 |
| The date on or before which representations will have to be received by the council in accordance with regulation 27(4) 52(4) (consultation on the proposed local plan) | proposed-plan-consultation-end | 28/06/2028 |
| The date on which observations and advice will be sought under section 15CA(3) of the Act in accordance with regulation 31 and 56 (Gateway 3: prescribed requirements assessment) | gateway-3-advice-sought | 25/08/2028 |
| The date on which the council will submit its proposed local plan to the Secretary of State for independent examination under section 15D(1) of the Act. | examination-submitted | 29/09/2028 |
| The date on which the local planning authority will consider adopting the proposed local plan under section 15EA of the Act. | adopted | 30/03/2029 |
If the council is to undertake any additional consultation to the stages set out in the table above, then the local plan timetable will be updated to confirm: the date on which the consultation will begin, and the date on or before which representations will have to be received by the council.
If the council decides to prepare a supplementary plan under section 15CC of the Act, then the local plan timetable will be updated to confirm: the date on which the council will make a formal notice of its intention to commence supplementary plan preparation, the date on which the council will make a notice of proposed supplementary plan consultation available, the date on or before which representations will have to be received by the council, the date on which the council will submit the supplementary plan for independent examination, and the date on which the council will consider adopting the supplementary plan.
Monitoring and updating the local plan timetable
The council will review the local plan timetable monthly from the date of publication and update it when any changes are required.
The council will also update the local plan timetable on the same day that the following stages are reached:
- Publication of Gateway 1 self-assessment
- Publication of Gateway 2 advice
- Publication of Gateway 3 advice
- Publication of the recommendations and reasons of the examiner following the examination of the plan
The local plan timetable will also be updated if any additional consultation is to be undertaken or if any changes are required to be made due to the need to repeat the gateway 3 assessment of the plan or if the council takes a decision to either withdraw or revoke the plan.
A record of all updates to the local plan timetable will be recorded in a separate schedule.
Schedule of amendments
As required by the government, a schedule of amendments to the local plan timetable is also available.
Data file
The CSV format data file contains information on the key milestones for the preparation of the new local plan and will be updated when changes are made to the timetable and when milestones have been met. This is provided in accordance with The Planning Data (England) Regulations 2026.