Submission of the Sandwell Local Plan to the Secretary of State (Regulation 22)

The Sandwell Local Plan and accompanying information was submitted to the Secretary of State on 11 December 2024. An independent Planning Inspector will be appointed who will examine the Local Plan and decide whether Sandwell Council can adopt it as planning policy.

To keep up to date on the progress of the examination, and to view the examination documents and information about the examination hearings, please visit the Sandwell Local Plan Examination webpage.

Publication of the Sandwell Local Plan (Regulation 19)

The Sandwell Local Plan was published in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 and Sandwell Council invited comments on its soundness and legal compliance between 23 September and 11 November 2024. Any comments submitted after this date have not been registered. 

You can view a digital version of the Publication Sandwell Local Plan and view the interactive Policies Map on our external consultation websites under the 'historic documents' tab.

Please use the tabs at the top of this page to view and download the supporting evidence, and to read the Frequently Asked Question responses including a summary on what 'soundness' means and what the legal requirements for the Local Plan are.

You can view and download a PDF version of the Publication Sandwell Local Plan and other consultation documents here.

Register for email updates on the Sandwell Local Plan 

Draft Sandwell Local Plan Consultation (Regulation 18)

Sandwell Council held a Regulation 18 public consultation on the Draft Sandwell Local Plan between 6 November and 18 December 2023. The responses to the consultation informed the preparation of the Publication Version of the Local Plan.

The Draft Plan identifies where new employment and housing development will be located and where investment for new infrastructure, such as transport, schools and green space will be made during the period to 2041.

You can view a digital version of the Draft Sandwell Local Plan on our external consultation website under 'historic documents' or download a PDF of the draft version.

Issues and Options Consultation

The public consultation on the Sandwell Local Plan Issues and Options Consultation took place between 6 February and 20 March 2023.

View the Sandwell Local Plan Issues and Options consultation documents

Call for Sites

A Call for Sites exercise took place at the same time as the Issues and Options Consultation in February and March 2023. The exercise invited landowners and developers to submit details of land within Sandwell that they would like to promote for development. The site submissions have been assessed for suitability for development within the Site Assessment Report which forms part of the evidence base for the Sandwell Local Plan.

Sites submitted through the Call for Sites exercise can be found on the Sandwell Local Plan Call for Sites Map here.

Please contact the Planning Policy Team at any time if you would like to promote any land within Sandwell for development. 

Plan Making Process

There are a number of different stages involved in the preparation of a Local Plan, with the key stages outlined below.

STAGE   TIMEFRAME
Evidence Gathering The council conducts a range of detailed studies and considers everything a Local Plan needs, like how many new homes and jobs are needed and what supporting infrastructure is required. Ongoing
Issues & Options
  • Public consultation on identifying relevant issues and potential options to meet different development needs
  • Call for Sites
  • Initial Sustainability Appraisal report

February to

March

2023

Draft Plan
  • Public consultation on the Council’s proposed draft plan which includes detailed policies and allocations
  • Draft Sustainability Appraisal Report

November to

December

2023

Publication Plan
  • Sets out the final Local Plan for submission to the Secretary of State (SoS)/Government 
  • Public consultation on legal compliance and ‘soundness’ 
  • Final draft Sustainability Appraisal Report

September -

November 2024

STAGE WE ARE AT NOW
STAGE   TIMEFRAME

Submission Plan &

Examination

  • Local Plan submitted to Government (Planning Inspectorate) with all the comments received during the Publication Plan consultation
  • Independent Examination carried out in public by a Planning Inspector
  • Final Sustainability Appraisal Report

Late 2024 -

early 2025

Adoption
  • Council formally adopts Local Plan
  • Sustainability Appraisal Adoption Statement

Late 2025 -

early 2026

How do I contact Planning Policy?

To speak to a Planning Policy Officer about the Sandwell Local Plan, please email Sandwell_LocalPlan@sandwell.gov.uk

Or call 0121 569 4054

Or write to Planning Policy, Sandwell Council House, Freeth Street, Oldbury, B69 3DE.

Can I view this page in a different language?

You can translate any webpage on the Council's website into 60 different languages including Punjabi, Bengali বাঙ্গালীPolish (Polski) and Urdu (اردو). Please visit the translation webpage for further details.