Agenda item

Report of the Director of Placemaking and Housing. To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, and Deputy Leader of the Council

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, and Deputy Leader of the Council introduced the report. It was explained that the Local Development Scheme set out the Council’s commitment to publish Haringey’s draft Local Plan for consultation in  Summer 2026 and to adopt the final version by February 2027. It was explained that the Local Plan set a framework for place-making and managing new developments in the borough, making it a key component for the delivery of the Borough Vision and the Haringey Deal.

The Cabinet Member noted that, since the existing Local Plan was adopted in 2017, the Council had seen a number of significant changes, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the adoption of a new London Plan, the Council’s declaration of a climate emergency, and explained that this had forced a revision of the strategic aspirations for Haringey. It was explained that the Council needed a Local Plan that answered new challenges and delivers on the vision of what the Council wanted for the borough by 2035.

It was explained that the Local Development Scheme was planned to build on the first set of consultations with residents in 2020/21, with a second set in July-September 2025. It was explained that it was important that the Council demonstrated to residents the intent to deliver a new Local Plan and ensure that the Council heard everyone's voice, including the voices of those that are too often overlooked.

Following questions from Cllrs Hakata and Emery, the following information was shared:

• It was stressed by officers and the Cabinet Member that engagement was critical to the development of the Local Plan and that the Council would seek to involve as many stakeholders as possible. It was explained that engagement was a continuous process and that the Council had contacted a variety of stakeholders to seek feedback. It was explained that, when Cabinet would be asked to approve the upcoming Draft Local Plan for consultation, a detailed Communications and Engagement Plan would be prepared for review and consideration. 
  
  
• It was explained by officers and the Cabinet Member that resource implications had caused some of the previous slippage in timings, which had since been resolved, with a fully resourced planning policy team. It was explained that the Planning Policy team had worked to undertake as much work as possible in house to ensure lower costs wherever possible, which had also increased some of the timescales.
  
  

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1. Approved the revised Local Development Scheme (LDS) at Appendix A for publication following the conclusion of the Call-In period as noted and endorsed by Strategic Planning Committee.
   
   

Reasons for decision

Under Section 15 (1) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended), the Council had a statutory duty to maintain an up-to-date LDS. The revised LDS fulfils this duty, reflecting the current timetable for the preparation of the Council’s new Local Plan.

In light of the changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in December 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister asked that all local planning authorities produce an updated LDS within 12 weeks of the publication of the NPPF (i.e. 6 March 2025).

Alternative options considered

The option of not updating the LDS was considered but was dismissed, because Section 15 (1) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended) required local planning authorities to maintain their local development scheme and Section 19(1) of the Act that Local Plans be prepared in accordance with the LDS. This includes complying with the timetable contained in the LDS. If the project timetables for preparing the Local Plan and that in the LDS differ significantly, this would be likely to lead to a finding of non-compliance with the statutory legal test at the independent examination of the Local Plan.

Therefore, the only valid option available was to revise the out-of-date timetable in the LDS to reflect the current timetable to satisfy the legal requirements of the Act.