New Local Plan

Wealden Local Plan Submission Draft (Regulation 19) Consultation

Wealden District Council is preparing a new Local Plan. The new Local Plan will be the key planning document for the district, excluding the area covered by the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA). The South Downs National Park has planning powers for its own area.

The Wealden Local Plan will guide how the district develops up to 2042.  It will set out a vision, identify where development will take place and include strategic and non-strategic policies supporting social, environmental and economic (sustainability) goals. Once adopted, it will form part of the Development Plan for the district, replacing all existing local plan policies, guide decisions on planning applications, and help inform investment and infrastructure provision.

Overall, this Plan will help meet the district’s needs while protecting the natural and built environment. It will support growth alongside infrastructure, services and facilities that communities need and help deliver the Council’s climate change objectives.

Following earlier consultation stages in 2020/2021, 2024 and 2026, we are now inviting representations on the Council’s final version of the Local Plan. The period to submit representations will run from Monday 21 September to Monday 2 November 2026 at 5pm.

Please note, all representations must be received by 5pm on Monday 2nd November, we cannot accept late submissions. It is your responsibility to ensure that they are received by the deadline.

What is the difference between Regulation 18 and Regulation 19?

It is important to note that there is a key difference in the language and approach between a Regulation 18 and 19 process.

Regulation 18 stage is about asking/consulting the community what is most important for the local plan and using those answers together with the national planning policy framework and collected evidence to develop the plan.

Regulation 19 stage is about asking interested parties to make representations to the Council about our submission draft plan. Those representations must focus strictly on legal compliance and tests of soundness rather than open-ended suggestions.

In very simple terms, it is less about what people would like to see in the plan and more about commenting on the acceptability (in legal and soundness terms) of what is presented in the Proposed Submission version. So it is not about alternatives, or highlighting areas that could be better, but on whether the presented version complies with the national planning system.

Representations at Regulation 19 stage will be considered by the Council and the Planning Inspector once the Local Plan is submitted for examination.

How to read the plan

You can read the Local Plan, evidence base, supporting documents and full details of this stage in the process on our website at Regulation 19 Local Plan Consultation Information.

Hard copies of the Local Plan and key documents, including the Sustainability Appraisal, Habitats Regulation Assessment (HRA) and Policies Map are also available at the Council Offices, libraries and several town and parish council offices. This our listed below.

How to make representations

Our preferred way to respond is through our online portal at Wealden Local Plan Submission Draft (Regulation 19) – Details – Keyplan

You can also complete the response form which can be obtained from our website, you can then send it:

• by email to planningpolicy@wealden.gov.uk
• or by post to Planning Policy, Wealden District Council, Vicarage Lane, Hailsham, East Sussex BN27 2AX

If you need assistance in using the online portal or getting a response form, please contact the Planning Policy Team using the contact information below.

Please note that we will not acknowledge forms received by post.

This stage of the process is more formal than the previous consultations, meaning when making a representation, it must explain whether you consider the Plan meets its legal and procedural requirements and whether it is ‘sound’. A Plan is ‘sound’ if it is:

• Positively prepared – The plan should provide a strategy that seeks to meet the area’s identified development needs, as a minimum, where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable development.
• Justified – The plan should be an appropriate strategy, considering reasonable alternatives and based on proportionate evidence.
• Effective – The plan should be deliverable over the plan period to 2042 and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic matters.
• Consistent with national policy – The plan should enable sustainable development in accordance with national planning policy.

Our guidance notes to explain these requirements and how to prepare your representation. The guidance note can be found on our website using the weblink above.

The Council’s online portal and response form set out these formal requirements in order to assist you in making your formal representation. You may provide a representation in writing and send in using the contact information above.

You cannot submit a representation anonymously. We will publish your name, organisation (if relevant) and your representation (or summary of it). 

When making your representation, you may also request to be notified when we submit the plan for independent examination, when the Inspector’s Report is published and/or when the Local Plan is adopted.

Contact us: Please telephone the Planning Policy Team on 01892 602008 or email planningpolicy@wealden.gov.uk if you want any further information, help or assistance.

What happens next?

After the six-week Regulation 19 representation period, the Council will summarise the representations and take a report back to Full Council before submitting the representations, alongside the Local Plan, supporting documents and evidence base, to the Secretary of State via the Planning Inspectorate (PINS). PINS will appoint an independent Planning Inspector to examine the plan. If you make a representation, the Planning Inspector, in due course, may invite you to the Examination in Public (EiP) hearing sessions that are to likely take place in 2027.