Purpose

Cabinet approval is required to publish the Stockport Local Plan in accordance with regulation 19 of The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.

Decision

The Cabinet has considered a report setting out details relating to the Stockport Local Plan and seeking Cabinet agreement that it be published for consultation under the provisions of regulation 19 of The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 and agreement of the approval process for submission of the Local Plan under regulation 22 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012, and has then given approval to:-

(1) publication (under regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012) of the Local Plan and its accompanying Policies Map set out in Appendices (i) and (ii) to this report for a period of consultation (under regulation 20 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012) from 23rd September 2026 until 8th November 2026.

(2) the proposed approach to consultation detailed in Appendix (vi)b. of this report; and

(3) following conclusion of the consultation period, submission of the local plan be considered at the following meetings:

(i)            Housing, Economy and Environment Scrutiny Committee (extraordinary): 7th December 2026.

(ii)          Cabinet: 8th December 2026.

(iii)         Council (extraordinary): 17th December 2026

(4) delegated authority for the making of minor amendments to the emerging draft Local Plan and/or the draft updated Policies Map prior to the consultation commencing to the Assistant Director Place Making and Planning, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and/or the Cabinet Member for Housing and Environment. Minor amendments might include, for instance, correcting typographical errors or updating references/links to supporting evidence documents.

Alternative options considered

The council is under a statutory obligation to prepare and maintain an up-to-date development plan for its area. Furthermore, the council is subject to a ministerial direction requiring it to progress preparation of an updated local plan, this includes a requirement to undertake consultation on the plan published at the regulation 19 stage of the process commencing which must commence no later than 1st October 2026.

Consideration has been given to whether or not it would be preferable to pause the Local Plan process and progress, instead, under a new regulatory process for the preparation of Local Plans published under the provisions of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act (2023). This option, whilst remaining a fall-back should the current approach fail, is not considered preferable because it would result in further delay to putting in place a new, up-to-date local plan for the borough; such delay results in significant uncertainty to local communities and the development industry, extending the period over which the borough’s development needs are not being met and invite speculative development applications which are not necessarily in the best interests of the local area but without there being a local policy framework in place allowing such applications to be refused.

Alternative options in terms of the Local Plan’s strategy and content have been considered through the regulation 18 stage, commencing in 2017. At that time the Local Plan was intended to provide a Stockport-specific local policy framework within the strategic context of the (then) Greater Manchester Spatial Framework joint Development Plan Document (DPD). In late 2020 the council determined not to proceed with the joint DPD but, instead, to prepare a Local Plan covering both strategic and local matters. Work has continued since that time, albeit within a changing context borne out of uncertainty following multiple, counter-directional changes at a national policy level between 2020 and 2024. Since then the implementation of the current Government’s planning reform agenda, including its increased emphasis on the delivery of new homes, has provided further, significant contextual change. The council completed an extensive consultation on an emerging draft (regulation 18) plan in late 2025. In addition, the statutorily required

Integrated Sustainability Appraisal has, as it has been updated alongside each emerging iteration of the Local Plan, tested the comparable impacts (positive and negative) of potential, reasonable alternatives.