The Pre-Submission Local Plan to 2046 (Regulation 19 publication)

The development of the Local Plan has been informed not only through responses to our consultations, but through evidence. This evidence can be found in our evidence library. The evidence ranges from core documents that are required through planning regulations, to topic specific evidence. Key evidence themes include economy and employment, housing and social infrastructure, historic environment, natural environment, flooding, water, infrastructure, viability, transport and climate change. Further information on some of the core documents is set out below.

The evidence library also includes a series of Statements of Common Ground with key organisations and neighbouring authorities to outline how we have addressed issues through the Local Plan which may be of strategic importance or have cross-boundary impacts. Development of these Statements of Common Ground will continue to be produced and finalised prior to submission of the Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate.

Current published Statements of Common Ground address issues such as energy, waste water capacity, water efficiency, health, site selection and key cross boundary issues with neighbouring authorities such as Greater Cambridge and Peterborough. Other Statements are also underway with the Combined Authority to address the timing of the A141 and St Ives Improvement Scheme, Cambridgeshire County Council to address education and Fenland District Council to support delivery of the A141 and other strategic infrastructure.

This stage of plan preparation is called Regulation 19 after a specific regulation in The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. 

It is the final stage of public and stakeholder engagement before the Council submits the Local Plan to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, after this the Local Plan will undergo an examination in public conducted by the Planning Inspectorate.

The Pre-Submission Local Plan is published by the Council on the basis that the Council thinks it is sound and legally compliant, these are terms that are set out in legislation and in the National Planning Policy Framework. 

As this stage of engagement is different from previous local plan consultations people will be asked a different set of questions. We are required to ask these questions as part of the official process for representations to be made. 

The questions are based around whether people think the Local Plan is sound and legally compliant. A description of what this means is set out below: 

• Legally compliant – that the plan has carried out the required consultation stages, followed the correct process and prepared the appropriate documents.

• Sound – This includes a number of sub-categories: 

  • Positively prepared – that the plan provides a strategy which, as a minimum, seeks to meet the area’s objectively assessed needs, and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that unmet need from neighbouring areas is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development;

  • Justified – that the plan has developed an appropriate strategy, taking into account the reasonable alternatives, and is based on proportionate evidence;

  • Effective – that the plan is deliverable over the plan period, and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic matters that have been dealt with rather than deferred, as evidenced by statements of common ground; and

  • Consistent with national policy – that the plan enables the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the Framework and other statements of national planning policy, where relevant.

To view and comment on the published documents people can visit the Council’s online consultation system This is the Council’s preferred method of reply and ensures that your responses are recorded and summarised accurately. However, if you require assistance, an alternative format to respond, or cannot use the online portal you can email: local.plan@huntingdonshire.gov.uk or call 01480 388424 and ask for Planning Policy who will send you a response form to complete, or you can download them here: (Pre-Submission Local Plan Response Form, Sustainability Appraisal Response Form, Habitats Regulations Assessment Response Form.

We have provided guides outlining how to register on the consultation portal [PDF, 0.2MB] and how to make comments [PDF, 0.3MB]

A guide has been provided [PDF, 0.2MB] to help you register on the consultation system.

A guide has been provided to explain how to make comments [PDF, 0.3MB] using the consultation system.

The questions we are asking when you respond to the consultation are based around whether people think the Local Plan is sound and legally compliant. A description of what this means is set out below:

• Legally compliant – that the plan has carried out the required consultation stages, followed the correct process and prepared the appropriate documents.

• Sound – The tests of soundness are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (December 2024 version) at paragraph 36. Plans are considered to be sound if they are:

  • Positively prepared – that the plan provides a strategy which, as a minimum, seeks to meet the area’s objectively assessed needs, and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that unmet need from neighbouring areas is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development;

  • Justified – that the plan has developed an appropriate strategy, taking into account the reasonable alternatives, and is based on proportionate evidence;

  • Effective – that the plan is deliverable over the plan period, and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic matters that have been dealt with rather than deferred, as evidenced by statements of common ground; and

  • Consistent with national policy – that the plan enables the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in the Framework and other statements of national planning policy, where relevant.

We have to individually accept all comments made and this may take us a while depending on the amount and type of comments we receive (for example paper and email responses may take longer). 

If we have received a large amount of comments, we will continue to process these comments after the consultation has closed, so you may want to check back later.  

Following the end of the period for representations to be made all comments received will be registered and made public on the Council’s online consultation system. We will then assess the comments to identify whether there is a need to propose any modifications to the Pre-Submission Local Plan before we submit the Local Plan to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Following the representations period a further report will be brought to Council on 16th December 2026 reporting key outcomes of the engagement on both the Local Plan and the Sustainability Appraisal. This will seek agreement to formally submit the Local Plan and all supporting materials to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and for it to be examined. The timetable for the examination in public of the Local Plan is wholly in the control of the Planning Inspectorate. 

The examination in public will consider comments received at this stage (Regulation 19 / Pre-Submission stage) in both written form and through a series of public hearings. The Planning Inspector will run a series of public hearings to test if the plan meets the legal rules and the tests of soundness. In essence this includes if the plan is positively prepared, backed by facts, practical to deliver, and meets national policy requirements. Those who object to certain elements of the local plan may be asked by the Planning Inspector to attend a hearing session to hear them, but to do so they must respond to the Regulation 19 engagement. The Council will have the opportunity to defend its position and justify why they believe the approach taken is justifiable.

Dates for the examination hearings are anticipated to be in 2027 but will be dependent on Inspector availability.

The future structure of local government is currently being explored in many parts of the country to change from the current system of county councils and district councils to a single tier ‘unitary authority’ model.

The new unitary authorities will be responsible for all services currently provided by both county and district councils. The government’s schedule until recently was for new unitary authorities in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough to start to operate in 2028. On 7 September 2026 the government announced that it was pausing and reviewing this process in many parts of the country, including Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

The benefit of moving forward with this Local Plan is that Huntingdonshire will go into any new local government structure with an up-to-date local plan that has been shaped by our communities. The Local Plan can be continued to be used when making planning decisions even after a new unitary authority has been established. Any new unitary authority will then be required to prepare a replacement local plan within 5 years of being established.

More information on the plan-making process and previous stages of the local plan can be found below:

• Local Plan Update

• Completed Consultations

• Preferred Options

• Evidence Library for Local Plan Update

• Call for Sites