Local plans: help shape future development in Cumbria

Local plans: help shape future development in Cumbria

Local Plans guide development in the area they cover. They allocate sites for a range of uses including housing, employment, community uses and open spaces and include planning policies which are used to assess planning applications.

Where a site is allocated for a specific use in a Local Plan (such as housing), the principle of that development has been accepted, and at the planning application stage only more detailed matters such as design, layout and access are usually considered. It is therefore important that communities are involved in the allocation process at an early stage.

Local plan consultations

Three local planning authorities in Cumbria are currently developing their new plans. These will be in place for at least five years following their adoption. Two of these authorities are currently seeking views on what their Local Plans should contain.

Cumberland Local Plan scoping consultation (Deadline 23 October). Click here.

Lake District National Park Authority scoping consultation (Deadline 23 October). Click here.

The Lake District National Park Authority is also asking residents and others to suggest sites which they feel would be suitable for development and other uses, such as local green spaces, in the National Park. If there are sites in your area which you feel should be developed or protected, you should submit details to the LDNPA by 26 March 2027. Further details on the LDNPA call for sites are available here.

Westmorland and Furness Council carried out a scoping consultation on their new Local Plan earlier this year and their timetable for the next round can be found here.

The Yorkshire Dales Local Plan was adopted in June 2026.

Have your say

We urge local residents to respond to the consultations and help shape the Local Plans in their area. Our planning and policy team will be responding in due course to ensure that the landscape is given full consideration.

We offer a planning outreach service where we visit organisations and community groups to provide planning advice to help enable them to better engage in the Local Plan and planning application processes. Feedback from those who have used this service has been overwhelmingly positive. If this is something you would like to discuss further please contact our planning team at planning@fld.org.uk.