New Local Plan

New Local Plan

Three Rivers District council are preparing a new Local Plan that will set out how it plans for future growth and development in the district. This plan will form the blueprint for how the council will sustainably develop the district until 2041, including managing needs for housing, jobs and supporting infrastructure – for example, shops, community facilities, transport, open spaces, schools and healthcare.

The new Local Plan will identify possible sites for development and will set out the policies against which the council will assess planning applications.

Call for sites

The council is aiming to identify any potentially suitable and newly available sites for all types of housing and commercial development within Three Rivers.

The call for sites period started on Wednesday 22 January 2025 and ran for four weeks, ending at 5pm on Wednesday 19 February 2025.

Find out more here

Local Development Scheme

The Local Development Scheme was formally adopted at Full Council on 10 December 2024 and sets out the timetable for the progress of the Local Plan. The scheme can be viewed here.

However, following the Extraordinary Full Council Meeting on 7 January 2025, Members have agreed that officers should aim to publish the Regulation 19 draft plan by 7 November 2025. To achieve this the draft plan will need to be brought to Full Council on 21 October.

Evidence base

We have conducted a number of studies to help us develop the Local Plan, ensuring that it is robust and justified. For more details, see our Evidence Base page.

Further evidence will need to be completed prior to Regulation 19 publication in November 2025. This includes, but is not limited to: a Green Belt Review, Whole Plan Viability Assessment, Sustainability Appraisal and a Transport Assessment.