The government has published legislation and guidance that requires all local authorities to change the way Local Plans are prepared. As a result, Nottingham City Council is required to publish a new plan‑making timetable to meet these legal requirements.
This timetable replaces the previous Local Development Scheme insofar as it relates to the Nottingham City Local Plan prepared under the new plan‑making system.
This timetable sets out how and when the Council expects to prepare the Nottingham City Local Plan. It provides transparency for communities, stakeholders and infrastructure providers about:
- when key stages of plan preparation will take place
- how and when people can engage with the process
- how the Council intends to manage plan preparation through the new Gateway process
The timetable covers the full plan‑making process, from the publication of the notice of intention to commence plan preparation through to submission for examination and final adoption.
The timetable applies to the administrative area of Nottingham City Council.
This timetable relates to The Nottingham City Local Plan prepared under the new plan‑making system
It does not relate to:
- Waste planning, which is covered by the adopted Nottinghamshire and Nottingham Waste Local Plan (September 2025).
- Minerals planning, which is intended to be progressed through a separate joint Minerals Local Plan with Nottinghamshire County Council with its own timetable and notice.
- Supplementary plans as currently none are proposed.
The timetable sets out the key stages in preparing the Local Plan, including statutory consultation periods, gateway checks, submission for examination, and adoption. It is intended to provide clarity on when decisions will be made and how communities, stakeholders, and infrastructure providers can engage at each stage. The structure is based on national guidance for what to include in your plan timetable.
The key events and dates for the Nottingham City Local Plan are:
| Event | Planned date | Actual date | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timetable published | 30 June 2026 | 30 June 2026 | This webpage provides the user-friendly timetable, alongside the raw timetable data in CSV format. |
| Publish notice of intention to commence plan preparation | 30 June 2026 | 30 June 2026 | Publishing the notice of intention to commence plan preparation is a new statutory requirement. It provides early notice to communities and stakeholders that plan preparation is beginning and explains how and when they can get involved. The notice must be published at least four months before Gateway 1. |
| Scoping consultation starts | 3 August 2026 | 23 September 2026 | This consultation will seek views on the scope of the Local Plan, including the key issues to be addressed and the evidence required. It will help ensure the plan is focused on the right priorities for Nottingham City. |
| Scoping consultation ends / deadline for representations | 28 October 2026 | Not yet occurred | All representations must be received on or before the confirmed date. |
| Gateway 1: self-assessment summary published | 30 October 2026 | Not yet occurred | The Council will publish a self-assessment covering the timetable, consultation, scoping, governance and project management arrangements. Passing through Gateway 1 starts the 30-month plan preparation period, during which the Council is expected to prepare, examine and adopt the plan. |
| Plan content and evidence consultation starts | 2 April 2027 | Not yet occurred | The second formal consultation will set out the proposed vision, objectives and broad policy direction, alongside a summary of the supporting evidence. Planned consultation period: six weeks. |
| Plan content and evidence consultation ends / deadline for representations | 14 May 2027 | Not yet occurred | Representations must be received on or before this planned date. |
| Gateway 2: observations and advice sought | 3 September 2027 | Not yet occurred | Gateway 2 provides an opportunity to seek formal observations and advice on the draft plan and supporting evidence, ensuring alignment with national policy, guidance and legislation before the final plan is prepared. |
| Proposed Local Plan consultation starts | 31 January 2028 | Not yet occurred | The third formal consultation will cover the proposed final version of the Local Plan, including site allocations and the full set of policies. Planned consultation period: eight weeks. |
| Proposed Local Plan consultation ends / deadline for representations | 27 March 2028 | Not yet occurred | Representations must be received on or before this planned date. |
| Gateway 3: observations and advice sought | 1 September 2028 | Not yet occurred | The Council will seek observations and advice on whether the proposed plan meets the prescribed requirements before submission. |
| Submission for independent examination | 29 September 2028 | Not yet occurred | The proposed Local Plan is planned to be submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination. |
| Adoption of the Local Plan | 30 April 2029 | Not yet occurred | Following the examination and receipt of the Inspector’s report, the Council will consider adoption of the Nottingham City Local Plan. The timing depends on the examination process. |
The revised timetable has effect from 19th October 2026. The original timetable was published on 30 June 2026, see the following accordion for record of changes.
Note: Planned dates show the Council’s current timetable for each milestone. They may be updated as plan preparation progresses. Actual dates are added once each milestone has taken place. Previous planned dates and the reasons for changes are recorded in the schedule of amendments.
This timetable will be kept under review and updated in line with government guidance. It will be updated where dates change and when key milestones are reached, including publication of Gateway advice, examination outcomes, or if the plan is paused, withdrawn or revoked.
The current schedule of amendments is -
| Date | Amendment |
|---|---|
| 19/10/2026 | Updated to record 23 September 2026 as the actual start date of the Local Plan scoping consultation. The planned end date has been updated from 4 September 2026 to 28 October 2026 to reflect the revised consultation programme. |
The original plan timetable was published on 30 June 2026. The current version has effect from 19th October 2026.
This CSV file contains the information above and will be updated when changes have been made to the timetable and when milestones have been met. All data on these pages is provided under the Open Government Licence. The data has been checked for compliance using the check and provide planning data service.
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