Local Plan latest news

Friday 19 September 2025

A copy of the Council’s annual Housing Land Monitoring Report for year ending 31 March 2025 has been uploaded as ADC.13 in the Council’s documents page. This reflects the position in respect of current planning policy and does not include all proposed housing allocations contained in the emerging Ashfield Local Plan.

Wednesday 17 September 2025

The Council has added the latest Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment Reports for 2025.

These are ADC.14, ADC.15, ADC.16 and ADC.17 in the Council's documents (also see SEV20.aa, SEV20.bb, SEV20.cc and SEV20.dd in the submission documents and evidence base page).

Monday 4 August 2025

Following on from the Council’s consultation on 13 additional housing sites, all responses received have now been collated and summarised. Please see the dedicated page for more information:

Friday 11 July 2025

The Council have responded to the Inspectors Letter INS06, please see document ADC12 in the Council’s documents page.

Thursday 20 February 2025

The Council has added evidence base document Local Plan Development Scheme dated January 2025. This is ADC.11 in the Council’s documents.

The Council is currently consulting on the Ashfield Local Plan 2023 - 2040: Additional housing site allocations, which sets out an additional number of houses across the Local Plan period (2023 - 2040). The consultation will run for a period of 6 weeks - Thursday 20 February to 5pm on Thursday 3 April 2025. Further details can be found on the consultation page:

Friday 31 January 2025

An interim findings letter from the inspectors was received by the council on 31 January 2025.

Tuesday 14 January 2025

The Council have responded to the Inspectors Interim Findings Letter, please see document ADC09. The letter was supported with a timetable of proposed works in document ADC10.

Tuesday 7 January 2025

Week 1 of the Local Plan public Hearings came to a close on Thursday 14 November 2024. A post hearing letter outlining the way forward from the Inspectors was received by the Council on 6 January 2025.

The letter asks the Council to undertake further work before hearings may continue for Matters 4 to 12. The hearings have been postponed until further notice. A response is requested from the Council by Friday 10 January 2025. The Council’s response will be made available in the Examination Library once it has been received.

Friday 3 January 2025

The Council has received a letter dated 24 December 2024 in respect of a development proposal at Land at Junction of Mansfield Road, Annesley - V/2022/0246. This planning application was the subject of a request to call in for determination by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government. The letter confirms that the Secretary of State has decided not to call in this application. The Secretary of State is content that it should be determined by the local planning authority.

The content of this letter may be relevant to the examination of the Local Plan. The reference number is OTH03.

Wednesday 18 December 2024

The deadline for submitting hearing statements for Matters 4 to 12 ended on 13 December 2024.

The hearing statements are now available to view in the Examination Library.

Friday 22 November 2024

The Council has added an evidence base document that was embedded in SD.03i Regulation 19 Pre-Submission Draft Sustainability Appraisal Report Appendix H - Appraisal of site alternatives, page H18.

This is ADC.08 in the Council’s documents.

Thursday 14 November 2024

Week 1 - Examination in Public hearings concluded today. The Inspectors will now write to the Council with the next steps and any questions or action points which they would like resolved before the start of week 2 of hearings which will commence on Tuesday 21 January 2025 at 10am for Matter 4 - Economy, retail, and town centres.

Wednesday 13 November 2024

The hearings opened yesterday with an opening statement from Ms Christine Sarris.

Please see document ADC.07 - Council's opening statement:

Tuesday 12 November 2024

The Examination in Public for Ashfield District Council’s submitted Draft Local Plan, commences today.  The first hearing for Matter 1 – Procedural and legal requirements including the Duty to Co-operate will start at 10am in the Council Chambers. Matter 2 will be held on Wednesday and Matter 3 on Thursday. For all hearings information please visit the Live Hearings Information page in in the Examination Library.

The following hearing agendas are now available to view:

Monday 11 November 2024

The Draft Hearings Programme has been updated to reflect the latest confirmed attendees.

Please see INS04d.

Friday 8 November 2024

The Draft Hearings Programme has now been updated to include attendees for the Council.

Please see INS04c.

Wednesday 6 November 2024

The Greater Nottingham aligned core strategy - accessibility of settlements study has been uploaded to the Council’s list of documents. This was already included in the Council’s evidence base as SEV.42 but was also noted as ADC.05 in the Council’s hearing statement for matter 3.

This is ADC.05 in the Council’s documents:

INS04b the latest version of the Inspectors Draft hearings programme is now available to view. This version includes an updated list of participants for Matters 1, 2 and 3.

Tuesday 5 November 2024

The Council have added a revised evidence base document – BP.04a Background Paper 4: Green Belt Harm Assessment. This is to correct an error, as 2 pages were missing from the original document (BP.04). These were:

  • 3. Summary of Harm Assessment Findings (page 12)
  • 4. Mitigation to reduce harm to Green Belt (page 13)

The revised document is BP.04a on the Evidence base page:

Monday 4 November 2024

Further to the submission of the Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on 29 April 2024, the Council has sent the Inspectors a letter requesting that the appointed Inspector to recommend modifications as may be further required to make the Plan legally compliant and sound.

This is ADC.07 in the Council’s documents:

Friday 1 November 2024

The Council have produced a Housing Land Supply Position Statement which provides up to date evidence in respect of housing supply.

This is ADC.04 in the Council’s documents.

Tuesday 29 October 2024

The Inspector's draft hearings programme has now been updated to include hearing participants.  

Friday 25 October 2024

Submitted hearing statements in response to INS03 the Inspectors Matters, issues and Questions for the following Matters are now available to view in the Examination Library.  Further statements will be added as they become available. 

Matter 1 – Procedural and legal requirements including the Duty to Cooperate

Matter 2 – Meeting Ashfield's Housing Needs 

Matter 3 – The Spatial Strategy and the distribution of development

Links:

Live hearings information

Week 1 of public examination hearings will commence on Tuesday 12 November 2024 at 10.00am in the Council Chamber at the Council Offices, Urban Road, Kirkby in Ashfield.

All information relating to the forthcoming Hearing sessions may be found in the Examination library here

As well as directions to the venue, parking information, and the latest draft programme you may also access hearing statements and agendas here which will be added as they become available.

Tuesday 22 October 2024

The Council have now responded to the second part of the Inspectors question in document INS01 with regards to Infrastructure.

The submission document Infrastructure Delivery Plan SEV.36 has now been amended. The updated Infrastructure Delivery Plan version is ADC.03 in the Council’s documents and SEV.36.1 in the submission documents.

Tuesday 15 October 2024

The Council has received an email from Natural England (Respondent ID. 81) confirming that they wish to withdraw their Representation No.198 made in regard to Policy H1Ka: Beacon Farm, Derby Road, Kirkby in Ashfield.

Withdrawn Representation No.198 stated that: Allocation H1Ka is within 400m of the Sherwood Forest possible potential Special Protection Area (ppSPA). Therefore, this needs to be justified as there may be impacts from disturbance of the development on the Woodlark and Nightjar and their habitat within the their area.

Monday 30 September 2024

Inspector's matters, issues and questions

We have now reached the next stage of the Local Plan Examination and the Inspectors have released to the Council, Examination guidance notes, a draft hearings programme and the Inspector's matters, issues and questions.

The Inspectors are inviting those individuals who submitted comments at the Regulation 19 consultation and who wish to participate in the Hearings to contact the Programme Officer no later than 12 noon, on Friday 18 October 2024.

The same respondents are also invited to submit written hearing statements directly in response to the Inspector's matters, issues and questions (INS03).

The hearing statements for week 1 (matters 1, 2 and 3), are to be received by 5pm on Friday 25 October 2024

The hearing statements for weeks 2 and 3 (matters 4 to 12), are to be received by 5pm on Friday 13 December 2024 .  

The Programme officer is happy to receive all correspondence by email with statements attached. However, paper copies by post will also be acceptable.

For more details, please refer to documents:

All submission documents, representations and examination documents may be found:

There will also be regular updates added here as the examination progresses.

Should you require any assistance with this consultation please contact the programme Officer Miny Schofield:

Tuesday 10 September 2024

’The Council has received a letter in respect of a development proposal at Land at Junction of Mansfield Road, Annesley -  V/2022/0360. This planning application was the subject of a request to call in for determination by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government. The letter confirms that the Secretary of State has decided not to call in this application. The Secretary of State is content that it should be determined by the local planning authority

The content of this letter may be relevant to the examination of the Local Plan. The reference number is OTH02.

Tuesday 10 September 2024

The Council has received a letter in respect of a development proposal at Recreation Ground, Hardwick Lane, Sutton in Ashfield - V/2024/0063. This planning application was the subject of a third party request to call in for determination by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government.  The letter confirms that the Secretary of State has decided not to call in this application. She is content that it should be determined by the local planning authority.

The content of this letter may be relevant to the examination of the Local Plan. The reference number is OTH01.

Thursday 29 August 2024

The Council have responded to INS01 - Inspectors initial questions. Please see document ADC02. The Councils response to INS01, and ADC.02a, Green Belt Maps to accompany their response to the question on the Green Belt.

Friday 26 July 2024

The Council has received initial questions from the Inspectors. Their responses to the initial questions will be made available to view here once they have been submitted to the Inspectors.

The Inspectors are not inviting any comments from other interested parties at this time.

Thursday 25 July 2024

An update to the Housing Needs Study has been uploaded to the Examination Library. This was commissioned with the Greater Nottingham Authorities, but was not received until after submission of the Local Plan to the Secretary of State. The reference number is ADC.01.

Monday 20 May 2024

The Secretary of State has appointed Planning Inspectors, Mr Philip Mileham BA(Hons) MA MRTPI and Mr Graham Wyatt BA (Hons) MRTPI, to conduct an independent examination into the soundness and legal compliance of the Plan.

Monday 29 April 2024

Ashfield District Council has submitted its Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS).

Page last updated 01 October 2025

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