This consultation closes at 5pm on Sunday 12 July 2026
We are preparing a new Local Plan that will set out how Chesterfield borough will grow, up to 2044.
The Local Plan is an important document that helps to protect our environment, and decides where new homes, jobs, green space and community facilities will be provided.
Our existing Local Plan was adopted in July 2020 but needs to be updated. Chesterfield’s new Local Plan will be prepared under the new system of plan making, in accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026.
Without a Local Plan, development will still happen, but it is more likely to be in locations that we would consider unsuitable. A Local Plan still means development, but we’ll have more say over where, and how, it happens. Your views are important in shaping this.
This Scoping Consultation is the first stage in the preparation of the new Local Plan. It follows the publication of the formal notice to commence an update of the Local Plan and the publication of the Local Plan timetable, both of which were issued in May 2026.
Scoping Consultation
The purpose of the Scoping Consultation is to provide early engagement in the plan-making process by seeking views from local residents and stakeholders about what the plan should contain, key issues for the borough and how future engagement should be carried out.
This Scoping Consultation will run for four weeks from 15 June to the 12 of July 2026.
To help you respond to the consultation we have prepared some information alongside a series of questions.
You can complete the survey online, or download and print a copy of the form and return it to us by post.
A copy of the consultation form, and relevant background information is available below. The survey should only take 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
| Scoping Consultation Survey - for printing |  (PDF 161 KB) |
| Regulation 18 Statement of Consultation | (PDF 1.97 MB) |
| Strategic Environmental Assessment Initial Screening Determination June 2026 | (PDF 159 KB) |
| Local Plan Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report June 2026 | (PDF 1.59 MB) |
When this first phase of consultation ends in July, we will carefully consider all the views and suggestions you’ve shared. There will be more opportunities for you to get involved during its preparation in Autumn 2026 and again in 2027, before the final Local Plan is put forward for independent examination.
Protecting your privacy
If you make a comment on the Local Plan, or submit a site, we will retain your information in order to notify you of progress through the Local Plan process. Find how we protect your privacy and keep your information safe by looking at our Local Plan and planning strategy privacy notice.
As part of the early stage of preparing the Plan, we are running this scoping consultation, alongside a Call for Sites, to gather views on what the Local Plan should cover, how communities and stakeholders should be involved, and to understand what additional sites may be available for development.
During this period, we will also be updating our evidence base to inform the new Local Plan. This includes work already underway to update our Green Belt Assessment, a review of Strategic Gaps and Green Wedges, Flood Risk and Viability. Further studies are soon to be commissioned including Transport impacts and Habitat Regulations Assessment.
The new system then includes two formal consultation stages:
Proposed Local Plan content and evidence - anticipated October 2026: this consultation will focus on the refined vision of the Local Plan and proposed aims and objectives, the proposed spatial strategy, initial site allocations and a summary of the evidence gathered/still to be gathered.
Consultation on the proposed Local Plan - anticipated May 2027: this will be a consultation on the full draft Local Plan before it is submitted for independent examination.
Full details of the timescales for producing the new Local Plan are set out in our Local Plan timetable. This will be kept up to date throughout the period our new Local Plan is being prepared.
The current Local Plan (2018 to 2035) will continue to be the development plan for the area and will be used in the determination of planning applications until a new Local Plan is adopted by the council.
We carried out a public consultation in 2025 to understand which issues should be prioritised in a new Local Plan and undertook a Call for Sites. The results of this consultation are available here.
Since then, the new Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026 were published. After reviewing these regulations alongside the new Draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the updated Plan Making Guidance, we decided to prepare the new Local Plan under the new plan making system.
Please provide comments through our survey wherever possible.
If you require the questionnaire in another language or format including large print, Braille, audio, or British Sign Language please contact us:
- email: local.plan@chesterfield.gov.uk
- phone: 01246 345002
A paper copy of the survey and consultation documents above can be supplied on request.
You can also view the consultation documents in person at Chesterfield Town Hall, and at libraries throughout the borough during usual opening hours.
All responses to the scoping consultation and call for sites exercise will be reviewed. This will help us ensure we are considering up-to-date information and responding to the views of our communities right from the start of the process of updating our Local Plan.
There will be a further two formal consultations for you to help shape the updated local plan?:
- the first is anticipated in autumn / winter 2026 and will focus on the vision of the plan, its aims and objectives, the proposed spatial strategy and a summary of the evidence base
- the second is expected in autumn / winter 2027 and will be a consultation on the full draft local plan before it is submitted for independent examination
Following local government reorganisation, the Local Plan process will be in the hands of a new unitary council.
As part of our legacy, we want to hand over a new Local Plan which can be taken through examination and adopted. This will provide Chesterfield's residents with an up-to-date local plan at the earliest opportunity. Government has stated that they expect councils to progress promptly with preparing new Local Plans and that LGR should not be used as a reason to delay this.
In the future it is likely that a Local Plan would be prepared across a larger area.
Call for Sites
As we update our local plan, we are carrying out a further Call for Sites. This is an opportunity for landowners, developers, agents, residents, community groups and other key stakeholders to submit sites located within the borough which are considered to have potential for development.
Any sites submitted to this call for sites exercise will not automatically be allocated.
We are accepting sites from 15 June to the 12 of July 2026.
Data Protection and confidentiality
Copies of all comments received will be made available for the public to view and cannot be treated as confidential. Personal data will however be processed and held in accordance with the General Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018 and Data Protection Act 2018. We will only use your personal information for the purpose for which it has been given.
The council assumes that by making comments to planning policy documents, you opt-in to receiving further updates from us about future planning policy documents. If you no longer wish to receive updates, you can opt-out of receiving these by contacting our Strategic Planning Team.
Responses to the Scoping Consultation and Call for Sites information will be held in accordance with data protection principles with personal data processed in line with our Local Plan and planning strategy privacy notice.
Keep up to date
If you would like to be kept informed on progress with our Local Plan, Call for Sites and other planning policy activity please email local.plan@chesterfield.gov.uk
Further information and guidance
If you need more information or assistance, please contact us:
- email local.plan@chesterfield.gov.uk
- phone 01246 345002