Current and future consultations

Current Local Plan consultation on proposed main modifications

Following the publication of the Inspectors’ Post-Hearing letter, the Council is now carrying out a focussed consultation, specifically on the Main Modifications that the Inspectors are proposing to secure the soundness of the new Local Plan.

• consultation on proposed main modifications

What is the Local Plan?

The Local Plan will establish a future vision for Lewisham, along with the planning and investment framework for its delivery over a 20-year period (2020 to 2040). The Local Plan, together with the London Plan and Neighbourhood Plans, forms the statutory Development Plan for Lewisham, and they are used to assess all planning applications across the borough.

Once adopted, the Lewisham Local Plan will replace the currently adopted documents as follows: Core Strategy (2011), Site Allocations (2013), Development Management (2014) and Lewisham Town Centre (2014) local plans.

Lewisham Local Plan: Regulation 22 submission

In accordance with Regulation 22 of the Town & Country Planning (Local Planning) the Council submitted, in November 2023, the Lewisham Local Plan: Proposed Submission Document January 2023 and its accompanying documents (Integrated Impact Assessment, Integrated Impact Assessment Non-Technical Summary, Habitats Regulations Assessment, Regulation 22 Consultation Statement including Appendix 3 Schedule of Representations, Duty to Co-operate Statement, Proposed Policies Map, Schedule of Proposed Changes to the Adopted Policies Map, Schedule of Modifications, Statement of Fact) and evidence base to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Planning Inspectorate for independent Examination. 

Submission webpage

A Programme Officer, Ian Kemp, was appointed to organise and manage the administrative and procedural elements of the examination process and he will act as the main point of contact between the Inspector, the Council and Representors.

All of the documents submitted for Examination can be accessed on Lewisham Local Plan website. 

Examination 

Following submission, two Planning Inspectors were appointed by the Secretary of State to undertake an independent Examination into the soundness and legal compliance of the Lewisham Local Plan. The Inspector considered the representations submitted during the Regulation 19 consultation and conducted Hearing sessions in June and July 2024 to informally debate the principal matters identified by the Inspectors.

At the end of the Examination, the Inspectors have proposed main modifications to the Plan.

For more information on the Lewisham Local Plan and the plan making process please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Hearing sessions

Hearing sessions took place during June and July 2024 within the Council Chamber of Lewisham Town Hall:

• view the hearing programme 
  
• view associated documents 

Recordings of the sessions are available online.

Regulation 22 Submission, Prescribed and Evidence Base documents: 

Submission documents

• Lewisham Local Plan: Proposed Submission Document January 2023
• Proposed Policies Map January 2023
• Schedule of Proposed Changes to the Adopted Policies Map December 2022
• Regulation 22 Schedule of Proposed Modifications 2023
• PAS Local Plan Route Mapper Toolkit Part 4: Local Plan Soundness and Quality Assessment
• Regulation 22 Consultation Statement 2023
• Duty to Cooperate Statement November 2023
• Submission Statement of Fact 2023
• Integrated Impact Assessment December 2022
• Integrated Impact Assessment Non-Technical Summary December 2022
• Habitats Regulations Assessment December 2022
• Housing Trajectory 2023 - update to Appendix 6 
• Infrastructure Delivery Plan 2023
• Supplementary Planning and Other Referenced Documents Topic Paper 2023
• Local Development Scheme December 2022
• Link to Statements of Common Ground 2023

Evidence Base documents 

• Area-based studies and strategies
• Housing
• Economy and Culture
• Environment
• Sustainable Design
• Infrastructure
• Design and Character

To view submitted representations from the Regulation 19 Local Plan consultation, please use the links below: 

• Community Groups and Residents
• Statutory Consultees 
• Landowners
• Organisations
• Submitted through Citizen Space and Commonplace

Local Plan Regulation 19 Consultation

This consultation has now closed.

As part of the Regulation 19 stage of Lewisham’s New Local Plan, Lewisham Council has consulted on the following documents: 

• Lewisham Local Plan: Proposed Submission Document January 2023
• Proposed Policies Map January 2023
• Schedule of Proposed Changes to the Adopted Policies Map December 2022
• Integrated Impact Assessment December 2022
• Integrated Impact Assessment Non-Technical Summary December 2022
• Habitats Regulations Assessment December 2022

Supporting documents

• Infrastructure Delivery Plan September 2022

• Duty to Cooperate Statement September 2022 

• Regulation 18 Consultation Statement on the Main Issues and Preferred Approaches December 2022 

• Regulation 18 Main Issues 2015 Consultation Statement March 2020 

• Local Plan: Track Change Version January 2023

• Statement of Representation Procedure March 2023

Why did we consult? 

The Local Plan will play a vital role in how we manage new development and coordinate investment. We want everyone with an interest in Lewisham to help shape the new local plan. 

We prepared the Local Plan: Proposed Submission Document for public consultation. It was informed by the previous consultation and engagement exercises we have undertaken on the Regulation 18 Issues and Options document in October-November 2015, the Regulation 18 Main Issues and Preferred Approaches document in January – April 2021, Call for sites exercises and engagement on evidence base documents. 

During this consultation, the Local Plan: Proposed Submission Document and its supporting documents were made available for public inspection to provide any individual, group, or business the opportunity to make a representation.  This consultation required submissions to specifically focus on the following issues:  

• Is the plan legally compliant? - Does the plan comply with the relevant legislation and regulations in the way it has been prepared, and in its content?  
  
• Does the plan comply with the ‘Duty to Cooperate’? - Has the local planning authority engaged constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis with neighbouring authorities and other prescribed bodies during the preparation of the plan?  
• Is the plan ‘sound’? - Has the plan been ‘positively prepared’? Is it robustly justified and evidence-led? Will it be effective in what it sets out to achieve? Is it consistent with regional and national planning policy? 

Regulation 18 Consultation

We consulted on the Lewisham Local Plan: Main Issues and Preferred Approaches document (the draft Local Plan) during January to April 2021. This was a Regulation 18-stage public consultation.

We received feedback from over 1400 local residents, community groups, businesses, government bodies and other organisations. We have prepared a short summary of this feedback and actions we are taking in response to it.

• Local Plan Reg 18: Main Issues and Preferred Approaches Draft Local Plan 2020
• Local Plan Reg 18: Main Issues and Preferred Approaches Consultation Summary 2020
• Local Plan Reg 18: Consultation Statement 2020

We held a series of online information sessions during the consultation. These were recorded and can be viewed on the Local Plan YouTube channel.

For more information about the Local Plan please visit Local Plan Commonplace.

Contact the Planning Policy Team 

If you would like any further information on the Lewisham Local Plan or any of the supporting documents please contact us via: 

• phone: 02083147400. 
• email: localplan@lewisham.gov.uk
• post: Planning Service, Laurence House, 1 Catford Road, London, SE6 4RU.