Local Plan for the Broads

The Local Plan guides development and land use in the special Broads environment.

Its purpose is to make sure any new development is of high quality and appropriately located in the unique Broads landscape.

Local Plan for the Broads – review

The Broads Authority are reviewing the Local Plan for the Broads. Whilst we do this, the policies in the current Local Plan for the Broads (see below) are still in place. As work progresses on the new Local Plan, this webpage will be updated.

Issues and Options consultation (ended 9 December 2022)

These were the documents out for consultation. A call for sites was also held for residential moorings, residential dwellings and in Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Gypsy and Traveller sites as well as residential caravans.

• Issues and Options Local Plan (HTML version)
• Issues and Options Local Plan (PDF version)
• Sustainability Appraisal (SA) (PDF)
• SA Literature Review (PDF)
• SA Baseline (PDF)
• Habitats Regulation Assessment (PDF)
• Responses to the Issues and Options consultation

Sustainability Appraisal (SA) Scoping Report

• Sustainability Appraisal (SA) Scoping Report
• SA Scoping Report Appendix 2 - Literature Review
• SA Scoping Report Appendix 3a - Baseline Data
• SA Scoping Report Appendix 3b - Maps
• SA Scoping Report Appendix 3c - Norfolk Geodiversity Audit database for the Broads
• Read the comments received as part of the technical consultation on the SA Scoping Report.

Local Development Scheme

• Local Development Scheme – timeline for production of the Local Plan for the Broads, adopted September 2023

Evidence/supporting documents

• The Index of Multiple Deprivation Topic Paper (September 2021)
• Settlement Study (February 2022)
• Development Boundaries Topic Paper (August 2023)
• Norfolk Study Older Person Housing (March 2022)\
• Gypsy and Traveller and Residential Caravans Need Assessment (Great Yarmouth Borough only) (June 2022)
• Housing needs assessment (June 2022)
• Residential Mooring needs assessment (August 2022)
• East Suffolk Cycling and Walking Strategy (November 2022)
• Local Green Space Assessment (June 2023)
• Housing and Economic Land Availability Assessment (HELAA) (September 2023)
• From HELAA to Local Plan (September 2023)
• Replacement Quay Heading Topic Paper (2023)

Current Local Plan for the Broads

The Local Plan for the Broads was adopted by the Broads Authority on 17 May 2019.

• Local Plan for the Broads – contains the policies and land allocations to help determine planning applications. Amended 29/5/19 in light of errors listed in the erratum.
• Climate Change checklist – word template
• Policies Maps – presents the policies in map format
• Final Sustainability Appraisal – assesses the policies of the Local Plan against sustainability objectives.
• Habitats Regulation Assessment (Modifications version) and Habitats Regulation Assessment addendum – assesses the policies of the Local Plan to see if they will have a likely significant effect on European protected sites
• Local Plan Adoption Statement
• Sustainability Appraisal Adoption Statement
• Inspector’s Report – the findings of the independent Planning Inspector, Ms Katie Child
• Schedule of Main Modifications – modifications required for the plan to be sound
• Schedule of Additional Modifications – more minor modifications to the Local plan
• Schedule of Policies Maps changes – changes to the Policies maps
• Schedule of changes post-examination – minor changes after the examination of the Local Plan (tend to be factual and typographical and grammatical)
• Examination Library
• Previous stages

Paper copies of the Local Plan for the Broads and policies maps can be found at these locations. For opening times, please contact the venue or check their website.

• Broads Authority, Yare House, 62-64 Thorpe Road, Norwich NR1 1RY
• Broadland District Council, 1 Yarmouth Road, Norwich NR7 ODU
• Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Town Hall, Hall Plain, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR30 2QF
• North Norfolk District Council, Holt Road, Cromer NR27  9EN
• South Norfolk Council, Cygnet Court, Long Stratton NR15 2XE
• East Suffolk Council, Marina Customer Services Centre, Marina, Lowestoft NR32 1HH
• Norfolk County Council, County Hall, Martineau Lane, Norwich NR1 2DH
• Suffolk County Council, Endeavour House, 8 Russell Road, Ipswich IP1 2BX
• Acle Library, Bridewell Lane, Acle NR13 3RA
• Beccles Library, Blyburgate, Beccles NR34 9TB
• Brundall Library, 90 The Street, Brundall NR13 5LH
• Bungay Library, Wharton Street, Bungay NR35 1EL
• Cromer Library, Prince of Wales Road, Cromer NR27 9HS
• Great Yarmouth Library, Tolhouse Street, Great Yarmouth NR30 2SH
• Loddon Library, 31 Church Plain, Loddon NR14 6EX
• Lowestoft Library, Clapham Road South, Lowestoft, NR32 1DR
• Oulton Broad, Library Council Offices, 92 Bridge Road, Oulton Broad NR32 3LR
• Norwich Millennium Library, The Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich NR2 1AW
• Stalham Library, High Street, Stalham NR12 9AN
• Wroxham Library, Norwich Road, Wroxham NR12 8RX

Other supporting documents

A range of supporting documents and evidence inform and supplement the Broads Local Plan. These include design guides, joint position statements with key stakeholders and the Flood Risk Supplementary Planning Document.

County council documents

The following documents from Norfolk and Suffolk county councils form part of the current Broads Local Plan.

• Saved policies from the Norfolk Structure Plan and the Suffolk Structure Plan
• The Norfolk Minerals and Waste Development Plan
• The Suffolk Minerals and Waste Development Plan

Neighbourhood Plans

Several parishes or town councils in the Broads are developing neighbourhood plans, going out to consultation or have had neighbourhood areas approved. You can find further details about these applications on our Neighbourhood Planning page. You can also see which Parishes or areas have produced or are producing Neighbourhood Plans on our Neighbourhood Plan map.

Statement of Community Involvement

The Statement of Community Involvement sets out how we intend to involve local communities and other stakeholders in the production of our Local Plan, as well as in determining planning applications and in producing the Broads Plan.

The current Statement of Community Involvement was adopted by the Broads Authority on 24 July 2020.

Duty to Cooperate

The Localism Act 2011 imposes upon local planning authorities and others a ‘duty to cooperate’ on strategic planning matters (i.e. those that affect more than one planning authority area). The Duty requires that a Local Planning Authority engages constructively, actively and on an on-going basis with relevant or prescribed bodies in order to maximise the effectiveness of development plan preparation and strategic matters.

The Broads Authority undertakes this duty in a number of ways. This is the most recent Duty to Cooperate Statement.

More information about the Norfolk Strategic Planning Member Forum can be found on the Norfolk County Council website.

Old and superseded documents

The Local Plan for the Broads replaces these documents. They are included on the website for reference only and are not in place when determining planning applications. All these documents have been superseded.

• Core Strategy Development Plan (2007)
• Development Management Policies (2011)
• Sites Specifics policies Local Plan (2014)
• 1997 saved policies