Wealden District Council is preparing a new Local Plan. The new Local Plan will be the key planning document for the district, excluding the area covered by the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA). The South Downs National Park has planning powers for its own area. Once adopted, the Local Plan will form part of the Development Plan for the District, replacing all existing local plan policies and will be used to assess and make decisions on planning applications.
In March 2024, Wealden District Council published a draft local plan (known as Regulation 18) that set out the Council’s draft policies and growth strategy for the plan period. In December 2024, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was updated as well as the calculation on housing need, known as the ‘standard method’ which results in increased housing need within Wealden District compared to that in our March 2024 draft local plan. Subsequently, the Council considers that a further consultation stage is needed to address those national planning changes and to consider whether further changes to the spatial strategy are required.
This ‘Focused’ Draft Local Plan consultation looks ahead to 2042. The Draft Local Plan focuses on a long-term spatial strategy for growth, including proposed locations for development and it provides a range of draft strategic policies for housing, the economy, town centres and Gypsy and Traveller provision. The Draft Local Plan also provides updates to our affordable housing policy, Sustainable Urban Drainage (SuDS) policy and a new policy on Coastal Change Management Areas (CCMAs). It does not present a full Local Plan draft at this stage. We need focus, through this consultation, on areas updated through the recent national policy changes which give rise to the need for further consideration in that wider context.
Overall, this Plan will help meet the district’s needs and priorities, whilst protecting our natural and physical environment. It will ensure that future growth is delivered alongside required infrastructure and improvements, as well as deliver on climate change objectives. It will also help to ensure that our communities are supported with the services and facilities that they need to support daily life.
The Consultation on the ‘Focused’ Draft Wealden (Regulation 18) Local Plan will run from Friday 6th February 2026 to 5pm on Friday 20th March 2026.
Whether you have comments on the overall spatial strategy, the individual site allocations and / or any of the Plan’s draft policies, we really would like to hear from you. This is your opportunity to feed into this process ahead of us developing and testing the plan further and publishing the Proposed Submission Local Plan for Consultation (Regulation 19) later this year.
Where can I find out more?
All of the documents relating to the consultation can be found on the Council’s website at: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/planning-policy/new-local-plan
Alternatively, hard copies of the ‘Focused’ Draft Local Plan and other key consultation documents such as the Sustainability Appraisal can be viewed at a number of locations including the Council Offices (copies are available at Heathfield and Waldron Parish Council office), libraries and a number of Town / Parish Council Offices. Please visit our website for a full list of locations.
You can also view our online virtual exhibition at any time, or you can visit one of our ‘in person’ exhibitions during the consultation to speak to Officers about the Local Plan. Our virtual exhibition is available on our website, as are details on the dates, times and locations of the ‘in person’ exhibitions.
How to respond to the consultation
You can comment on the documents online using our online consultation portal https://consult.wealden.gov.uk/kse/. Full instructions and a video on how to comment are provided. All comments received via this method will receive automatic acknowledgement that they have been received by the Council.
If you do not have access to the internet, then we will accept paper copies of the questionnaire. You can ask someone to download the questionnaire from our website or obtain paper copies from the locations where you can view paper copies of the Local Plan, as above. Questionnaires can be returned to us by email or post as detailed on the questionnaire. However, please note, submissions via this method will not receive confirmation that they have been received.
Before submitting comments, we strongly encourage you to read our ‘Guidance Notes for Responding’.
Please telephone the Planning Policy Team on 01892 602008, if you want any further information, help or assistance. If you, or somebody you know, would like the information (guidance notes, forms etc.) in large print or in another language, please let us know.
