Preparing a local plan vision
The draft requirements and process for local planning authorities to follow when preparing a vision as part of the 30-month plan-making process.
Applies to England
For plans under the legacy plan-making system
If you are submitting your plan under the legacy system, use the create or update a local plan legacy system guidance.
The legacy system covers plans to be adopted under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, excluding the amendments made by the LURA, and The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.
Local plans must include a vision
Local planning authorities (LPAs) must prepare a vision as part of the local plan.
The purpose of the vision is to set out how your area should change over the period of the plan. It could also be used to reflect longer term ambitions stretching beyond the plan period. It will guide the local plan throughout its development and help you monitor its success following adoption.
The vision should:
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set out key aims and objectives for your area over the next 10 years or longer
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be ambitious but also reflect what the local plan can realistically achieve through its policies
This guide will help you:
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draft a vision in line with the legislation and policy
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understand where the vision fits into the wider plan-making process
Benefits of a vision
A vision will help set the direction for change and indicate the kind of place you aspire to create. It will:
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provide a holistic framework which sets clear direction for the spatial strategy and policy development
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support plans to help achieve high quality development and place-shaping
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provide a better framework for delivery and monitoring
Engaging with communities and other stakeholders on your vision will give them a much stronger voice in the plan-making process. It will help to establish the ambition for growth and provide a clear point of reference for different stakeholders throughout the plan-making process and beyond.
Working on your vision as part of the 30-month process
You should start preparing your vision before the 30-month process starts, then continue to update it as you develop your plan. You must consult on your draft vision at the consultation on proposed plan content and evidence. After this you should firm up your vision, which should be used to support the development of your spatial strategy and policies.
Diagram 1 of 2. Shows the vision-related tasks during the 'get ready' part of the plan-making process, as described by this guidance.
Diagram 2 of 2. Shows the vision-related tasks from the 'prepare the plan' part of the plan-making process to monitoring the plan, as described by this guidance
Use baselining information to inform your vision
Baseline data and information will help you understand your area better and inform the vision for its future.
Find out what baselining information to gather.
Identify the key priorities for the vision
To identify the key priorities for your area, you will need to consider:
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existing national planning policies in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
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any regional policies in Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs)
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things that are specific to your area
You should also:
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use your baselining information to form an objective assessment of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) that are relevant to the plan area
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engage internally within the council
NPPF priority matters
You will need to apply the priority matters identified in the NPPF to your local context including how you:
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deliver homes of the right sizes, types and tenures to support sustainable growth and creation of places
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encourage sustainable economic growth promote the long-term vitality and viability of centres
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deliver well-designed, high quality and sustainable places
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promote sustainable transport and access to a range of transport nodes
Regional priorities
Your local plan, including its vision, will need to be in general conformity with any Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) that is in place for the area. Where there is an SDS in place, you should consider any regional priorities that might be relevant to your vision.
SWOT analysis
A SWOT analysis provides a structured way to understand the context of the area. You should use this technique to identify factors which are likely to have greatest impact on the direction of growth over the plan period, and potentially beyond. This will help define your priorities.
For example, the SWOT may identify:
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strengths - a strong local economy and diverse population
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weaknesses - a lack of affordable homes, traffic congestion and inadequate public transport infrastructure
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opportunities - growing economic sectors
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threats - climate change and flood risk
Other local priorities
You should use the outputs of the SWOT analysis to include other specific local priorities for the area in the vision statement. These might include how you will:
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accommodate other land uses such as open space and development such as community facilities in the most sustainable way
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require other strategic infrastructure to support growth
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protect and enhance the historic and natural environment promote healthy, safe and inclusive places
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address climate change, including mitigation and adaptation
Invite early engagement on your key priorities
You must meet the legal requirement to engage with stakeholders through the scoping consultation, as they will play a key role in delivering the vision.
You should invite the public, statutory bodies and other stakeholders, as set out in the regulations. This will help clarify the critical issues that are relevant to them and refine the key priorities.
Other stakeholders are likely to include infrastructure providers, including utility companies, local interest groups, landowners and developers, and investors. We also recommend that you engage internally with elected members to ensure corporate buy-in to the vision.
We recommend asking stakeholders questions based on your SWOT analysis and early work on key priorities. This will help to:
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encourage feedback
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set parameters around the engagement
This will help to keep the feedback focused on the reality of your local issues and what the plan can genuinely deliver.
Record your progress in your Gateway 1 self-assessment summary
To begin the 30-month plan-making process, you’ll pass through Gateway 1. This involves completing a self-assessment summary of your progress so far.
You should record your progress made on the vision in this self-assessment summary.
Find out how to use the Gateway 1 self-assessment summary.
Draft your vision
Continue to develop the draft vision.
Your vision should be flexible enough to be tested and refined as you gather more detailed evidence and carry out further consultation.
Alongside your work on the vision itself, you’ll also start on other tasks that relate to the vision, including:
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writing your policies - they will help achieve the vision statement and deliver the measurable outcomes
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collaborating with stakeholders and creating statements of common ground if needed - this will help to address issues and harness opportunities across LPA boundaries
What to include in your vision
Your vision should comprise a short vision statement incorporating aims and objectives for your area.
You must also identify up to 10 measurable outcomes to help you monitor progress towards meeting the vision statement.
Vision statement
This section sets out our recommendations for writing your vision statement.
Split your vision statement into clear aims and objectives
Split your vision statement into clear and focussed paragraphs based on specific aims and objectives for the local area. Split them either thematically or spatially, followed by the series of measurable outcomes it will deliver.
Be ambitious yet realistic
Your vision should reflect the local authority’s ambitions and priorities. To demonstrate that these are realistic, you should:
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use your baseline work and SWOT analysis, including key current and future trends, to ensure the vision and outcomes are justified
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set parameters around what the local plan can achieve within the plan period and what the longer-term expectations are – for example, large scale development proposals that will be delivered over the long term
Make the vision locally distinctive
To make sure your vision is grounded in place, we recommend you:
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describe your area and its unique qualities
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avoid generic spatial references and consider detailing specific areas – for example, you may refer to specific districts, cities, towns, villages, local centres and buildings
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include appropriate assets and facilities
Use the information from the baselining, early engagement, SWOT analysis and consultations to balance considerations holistically and make sure the vision’s priorities reflect local issues and opportunities. Align the vision with existing local priorities and strategies and integrate relevant information from them where appropriate.
You should include potential areas for:
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growth and regeneration
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new infrastructure
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protection or enhancement
The vision should also refer to neighbouring areas where appropriate. It should also clarify how non-spatial and spatial attributes are connected, for example linking numbers of new jobs to employment locations.
Be concise and clear
To keep your writing clear and easy to read, we recommend you:
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use bullet points where you can
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use headings to break up long sections of text
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avoid repetition
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write in plain English where you can – try to use words that all stakeholders will understand
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keep your vision brief and only include the most relevant and important information
Measurable outcomes
You must identify no more than 10 measurable outcomes to help you monitor progress towards meeting the vision statement. Less than 10 measurable outcomes may also be appropriate.
The outcomes should be:
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tangible
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locally specific
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easy to monitor the plan against
To achieve this, make sure they:
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flow from the aims and objectives identified in the vision statement
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outline how the desired change will be delivered and measured
To help measure if the outcomes are being met, we recommend you link to quantitative and qualitative targets and standards, where appropriate. These may include:
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housing targets – for the number, size, typologies, tenures and location of housing
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employment targets – for the number of jobs, amount of employment space, in the right locations, urban and rural
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amount and locations for other land uses and development
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type and amount of strategic infrastructure including transport
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design standards and place-making principles
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sustainability principles and standards
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carbon reduction and net zero targets
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air quality targets
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crime rates
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measures of wellbeing
You should set out how outcomes will be delivered by linking to specific local plan policies. This can include strategic and development management policies, as well as your site allocations.
You should present local plan policies against each measurable outcome for clarity and link to other relevant policy documents, strategies, initiatives, frameworks and management plans.
You will need to demonstrate how these locally specific outcomes will be measured,
Consult on your draft vision
At the consultation on the proposed plan content and evidence, you’ll seek feedback on:
- your draft vision statement and measurable outcomes
- other emerging elements of your plan
You should ask targeted questions about the key aims and objectives identified. This will help you understand whether they align with community and wider stakeholder priorities. Design these questions to maximise responses and help you to update the vision effectively.
Iterate the vision
Following the consultation on the proposed plan content and evidence, you should:
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further update your vision based on the responses and feedback you received
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aim to firm up your draft vision to make sure the rest of the plan can be drafted in accordance with it – this will limit any consequential changes to the linked polices later in the process
You need to submit your vision as part of your proposed local plan content at Gateway 2, where a gateway assessor may provide feedback. Only update it after the gateway where there’s a strong reason.
You’ll also include your final vision as part of the information you consult on at the consultation on the proposed local plan.
Submit your vision at Gateway 3
At Gateway 3, an assessor will check if the plan is ready to proceed to examination by meeting the prescribed requirements. The requirements that relate to the vision are:
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the plan includes a vision statement and up to 10 measurable outcomes
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you have considered representations at previous stages of the plan making process
Monitor your vision’s success
Following the examination of your plan and once it has been adopted, you must monitor and review progress towards meeting the vision using your measurable outcomes.
There are two types of monitoring and the vision is key to each:
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annual monitoring – this is where you will monitor the implementation of the plan against measurable outcomes
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plan evaluation report – this will inform the next version of the plan, will tell you which policies and sites you can take forward, and if the vision statement and measurable outcomes are fit for purpose
Updating your vision
We recommend that you review and, where appropriate, refresh your vision each time you prepare a new local plan. While an existing vision can provide a good starting point for your work, you should:
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consider what might have changed since it was originally prepared
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follow this guidance to help you identify whether your priorities, aims, objectives and measurable outcomes are still right for your area