Self-Assessment of readiness, setting out how the Council has met the requirements to begin the 30-month Local Plan process
About the self-assessment
This Gateway 1 Self-Assessment marks the start of preparing the new Borough of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Local Plan 2026-2044. This summary takes you through the preparations we have made and explains how we have assessed our readiness to begin. We have prepared this self-assessment in line with the requirements of the Town and Country Planning Regulations 2026 and the Local Plans guidance.
Gateway 1 is the first of three required checkpoints that support the preparation of a Local Plan within the 30-month Local Plan Timetable. It helps make the process clearer and more transparent, so our local communities and stakeholders can understand how we are getting ready to prepare the new plan.
At this stage, we assess readiness to begin and share a summary of that assessment with you. Publishing this summary formally starts the 30-month Local Plan time period.
View Gateway 1 self-assessment summary
How we got ready to prepare a new Local Plan
We began preparing the King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Local Plan 2026-2044 in 2026 to ensure our planning policies respond to the changing needs of the area and our communities.
Although our current plan was adopted in March 2025, the Government’s revised calculation increases local housing need by around 80%. The Government has directed us to start a new plan by the end of October 2026. In preparing it, we must consider this housing need alongside other factors including infrastructure capacity, flood risk and the protection of our natural and historic environment.
As part of this preparation, we published our official Notice of Intention (NoI) to commence next Local Plan preparation in June 2026.
Government policy sets a 30-month timeframe for adopting the new Local Plan, starting when we publish this Gateway 1 self-assessment summary. This is intended to help us keep the Local Plan up to date and responsive to local needs.
The sections below explain the work we have completed to get ready to deliver the new Local Plan within this timeframe.
See our readiness checklist below for a snapshot of our preparations for Gateway 1, bringing together the key checks used to assess our readiness to begin the new Local Plan.
Further information
- Notice of Intention to prepare the new Local Plan
- Gateway 1 requirements (Regulation 21)
- Gateway 1 for local plans: what you need to do - GOV.UK
We published a timetable for preparing the plan
Our Local Plan timetable sets out each stage of preparing the Local Plan, including public consultation which offer opportunities to comment. The first draft consultation is currently scheduled for May–June 2027, followed by consultation on the proposed plan in April–May 2028.
Submission for independent examination is scheduled for November 2028 and adoption for May 2029. We will review the Local Plan timetable at least monthly and at key milestones.
We established project management and governance arrangements
Our Planning Policy Team leads the work, supported by a dedicated project management officer. The Local Plan Task Group, Portfolio Holder and senior officers oversee progress.
Our Project Initiation Document (PID) explains how we will manage delivery, monitor progress and address risks, alongside agreed arrangements for decisions at key stages.
View Project Initiation Document (PID)
Further information
We planned how we will consult on the Local Plan
We want people to have clear, accessible opportunities to shape the Local Plan. Our Consultation and Engagement Strategy explains how we will communicate with communities and interested organisations throughout preparation. It draws on feedback from the September 2026 Local Plan Scoping Consultation about how people want to be involved.
Early engagement included email, press and social media updates, and drop-in events in King’s Lynn, Downham Market and Hunstanton. We aim to offer a range of ways to get involved as proposals develop.
View consultation and engagement strategy
We began scoping the content of the Local Plan
The Scoping Consultation ran from 1 to 29 September 2026. We asked what the plan should cover, how we should involve people, and for comments on submitted sites and the initial Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). An initial update reported more than 300 online survey responses, more than 450 emails, conversations with nearly 300 people and more than 1,500 map comments. These are separate participation measures, not a total of unique respondents.
Feedback has and will inform the Local Plan and our engagement approach going forward. The Summary of Scoping Consultation Report (Regulation 22 report) is scheduled for publication in November 2026.
Further information
- Summary of Scoping Consultation Report (report to come)
- Scoping Consultation
- Initial participation update (not the final findings)
Progress towards draft Local Plan content and evidence consultation
We have started drafting a vision and 10 measurable outcomes, considering growth options and commissioning evidence including on housing need, flood risk, open space, landscape and viability.
More than 800 possible sites have been identified through the Call for Sites and subsequent submissions. These are for assessment, not proposed allocations. Infrastructure capacity, constraints and consultation feedback will inform our work.
Further information
We began a Strategic Environmental Assessment
We have commenced a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the likely significant environmental effects of the plan and reasonable alternatives. The initial scoping work covers issues such as flood risk, protected wildlife sites and coastal change.
We consulted on the assessment’s scope alongside the Scoping Consultation, including with the Environment Agency, Historic England and Natural England. We are now finalising the scope and level of detail needed. The SEA will be used to assess the Local Plan and its policies, alongside reasonable alternatives, as it develops.
Further information
How to stay up to date
To receive consultation updates, please email local.plan@west-norfolk.gov.uk and ask to join our consultation database. You can use the same address to unsubscribe.
Your personal information
We store personal information securely and use it for Local Plan purposes, including notifications where you have consented. We do not share it with third parties except where required by law.
Consultation responses may be published with a surname and, where needed, a first-name initial. For data protection questions or to exercise your rights, email data.protection@west-norfolk.gov.uk.