3. Plan-making
3.1 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published on 12 December 2024 (amended on 7 February 2025 for corrections and clarity), sets out the government’s planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied. The framework was revised in response to the Proposed reforms to the NPPF and other changes to the planning system consultation, replacing the previous NPPF (December 2023). The government’s planning practice guidance sections on Plan making and Housing supply and delivery were updated at the same time to support the revised framework.
3.2 Chapter 3 of the NPPF – Plan-making – states that succinct and up-to-date plans should provide a positive vision for the future of each area. This includes addressing housing needs and other economic, social and environmental priorities and providing a platform for local people to shape their surroundings. Local plan documents must be prepared with the objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development and policies should be underpinned by relevant and up-to-date evidence that is adequate and proportionate.
3.3 The development plan for an area comprises the combination of strategic and nonstrategic policies that are in force at a particular time. Local planning authorities can, where relevant, prepare one local plan combining policies on minerals, waste and other planning matters.
3.4 Local plans are examined to assess whether they have been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements, and whether they are ‘sound.’ Paragraph 36 of the NPPF sets out information on what constitutes a ‘sound’ plan.
Duty to cooperate
3.5 When preparing local plan documents, the Council has a legal duty to cooperate, set out in the Localism Act 2011 and section 33A of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (as amended).
3.6 This duty is with neighbouring and other relevant local planning authorities, the Mayor of London as the Greater London Authority, and other prescribed authorities and agencies when plan-making. This means working constructively, actively and on an on-going basis on strategic issues having a significant impact on at least two planning areas, and preparing and maintaining statements of common ground to document this.
3.7 A statement of common ground forms part of the evidence required to demonstrate that a local planning authority has complied with the duty to cooperate. It is a way of demonstrating at a Local Plan examination that the plan is deliverable over the plan period and based on effective joint working across local authority boundaries. The Council will prepare statements of common ground where appropriate and in accordance with national planning practice guidance.
3.8 In accordance with the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012 (as amended) the prescribed agencies/bodies with whom the Council has a legal duty to cooperate are as follows:
- Integrated Care Board/NHS England
- Historic England
- Local Enterprise Partnership (London Enterprise Partnership)
- Local Nature Partnership (All London Green Grid Local Nature Partnership)
- Natural England
- The Civil Aviation Authority
- The Environment Agency
- The Marine Management Organisation
- The Mayor of London
- The Office of Rail Regulation
- Transport for London (TfL) and other relevant Highways Authorities
Reviewing the Bexley Local Plan 2023
3.9 The procedure for preparation and review of local plan documents is set out in the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. Reviews at least every five years are a legal requirement for all local plans. The review must be completed and findings published no later than five years from the date of adoption of the local plan, and should take into account changing circumstances affecting the area, or any relevant changes in national policy.
3.10 Therefore, this new LDS sets out a timetable for the review of the Bexley Local Plan, which must be completed by 25 April 2028. It is likely that this review will determine that a new local plan for the borough will need to be prepared, given the plan making reforms that are being put in place by the government and progress on the review of the London Plan. From 26 April 2028, when the Bexley Local Plan is five years old, a new local plan will be prepared. This preparation will follow the 30- month timeframe set out in Chapter 2 of the July 2023 Consultation on implementation of plan- making reforms. The government has confirmed its commitment to the 30 month plan timeframe in its response to the consultation.
Local Plan Timetable
3.11 The new local plan will be a single development plan document that is consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework and in general conformity with the London Plan.
Matters that the authority’s local plan for their area is to deal with
3.12 The local plan will contain:
- strategic policies to guide the growth and development of the borough over the plan period and beyond
- development management policies that are used on a day-to-day basis to determine general planning applications (where needed locally, subject to the government’s national development management policies)
- spatial/site specific policies including site design codes
The geographical area to which the authority’s local plan is to relate
3.13 The geographical area to which the local plan relates is the entirety of London Borough of Bexley’s administrative area.
3.14 The policies will be represented spatially on a borough-wide policies map.
| Key stages | Main tasks | Timetable |
|---|---|---|
| Assessing the current Bexley Local Plan |
| March 2025 to March 2027 This time period should include the publication of secondary legislation that brings planning reforms into force; the publication of National Development Management Policies; and, publication of a new London Plan. These need to be finalised in advance of the scoping of a new local plan |
| Scoping and early participation for a new local plan for Bexley |
| April 2027 to March 2028 The four months’ notice period sits at the end of this stage to coincide with the start of the 30-month plan-making stage |
| Start of 30-month plan-making stage |
| April 2028 to March 2029 The six week public consultation is likely to take place midway through this stage |
| Plan production |
| April 2028 to March 2030 The plan production stage overlaps the stages on either side (and includes the two public consultation events) |
| Engagement, proposing changes |
| April 2029 to February 2030 The six week public consultation is likely to take place midway through this stage |
| ‘Stop/Go’ (third ‘gateway’ assessment) |
| February to March 2030 It is anticipated that this stage could take four to six weeks |
| Submission |
| March 2030 |
| Examination |
| April to September 2030 |
| Finalise and adopt |
| October 2030 |
Table 2: Bexley Local Plan review timetable
Supplementary planning document review timetable
3.15 The previous Bexley LDS, in place up through adoption of the Bexley Local Plan in April 2023, included a review of extant SPDs and the actions from this review have now been implemented.
3.16 For this new LDS, the Council has undertaken a follow-up review of all remaining extant SPDs in the context of the adopted Bexley Local Plan and recently adopted Design Guide Part 1 (Design Principles) SPD, and actions identified from this review are set out in Table 3.
| Planning guidance (new and extant) | Actions from previous review | Actions from this review | By when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design Guide Part 1 (Design Principles) SPD | N/A | Retain as this SPD, and subsequent parts, support Local Plan policies and provide local design coding | N/A |
| Affordable Housing SPD 2006 (updated 2012) | Document has been reviewed against Local Plan policies | SPD will be removed, and new affordable housing guidance (if needed) included in a revised Planning Obligations Guidance SPD | March 2025 |
| Bexleyheath Civic Offices Planning Brief 2007 | Document will be retained until the site is redeveloped | The planning brief can be removed as this development site has been built out | March 2025 |
| Lamorbey Planning Brief 2008 (updated 2012) | Document will be retained until the site is redeveloped | The planning brief can be removed as this development site has been built out | March 2025 |
| Planning Obligations Guidance SPD 2008 | Document has been reviewed against Local Plan policies | The SPD should be revised (including for affordable housing) to provide guidance for Local Plan policies | December 2025 |
| Bexleyheath Improvement Development Framework and Bexleyheath Night Vision 2009 | Documents to be replaced by the Bexleyheath Town Centre Masterplan if appropriate | Document will be revised to ensure it conforms to the adopted Bexley Local Plan and will be replaced when the Design Guide Part 3 (Site Design Codes) is adopted | June 2025/ April 2027 |
| Crayford Strategy and Action Plan 2005 | Document to be replaced by the Local Plan and Bexley Riverside OAPF | Document will be revised to ensure it conforms to the adopted Bexley Local Plan and will be replaced when the Design Guide Part 3 (Site Design Codes) is adopted | June 2025/ April 2027 |
| Erith Western Gateway SPD 2012 | Document to be replaced by the Local Plan and Bexley Riverside OAPF | Document will be revised to ensure it conforms to the adopted Bexley Local Plan and will be replaced when the Design Guide Part 3 (Site Design Codes) is adopted | June 2025/ April 2027 |
| Crayford Town Centre: A residential design code 2008 | Document to be replaced by the Design Guide SPD | Document to be replaced by the Design Guide SPD when all parts of the SPD are adopted | April 2027 |
| Crayford Town Centre: Design and identity guide 2008 | Document to be replaced by the Design Guide SPD | Document to be replaced by the Design Guide SPD when all parts of the SPD are adopted | April 2027 |
| Sustainable design and construction guide SPD 2007 | Document to be replaced by the Design Guide SPD | Document to be replaced by the Design Guide SPD when all parts of the SPD are adopted | April 2027 |
| UDP Design and Development Control Guidelines 2004: 2: Extensions to houses 3: Residential conversions 4: Accessible design 5: Highways considerations 7: Shopfronts and advertisements 8: Industrial/ commercial developments | Document to be replaced by the Design Guide SPD | Document to be replaced by the Design Guide SPD when all parts of the SPD are adopted | April 2027 |
Table 3: Extant Bexley supplementary planning documents and how and when they may be revised or replaced
3.17 In addition, changes to national planning policy and legislation will affect further SPD production, in that only SPDs that were already in preparation when planning reforms were put in place can continue to be prepared. In this respect, it is Parts 2 and 3 of the Design Guide SPD that will continue to be produced and these are reflected in Table 4 below.
| Document | scope | timetable |
|---|---|---|
| Design Guide Part 2 |
| Consultation for these is anticipated for October 2025, with adoption in April 2026 |
| Design Guide Part 3 (Site Design Codes) | design guidance for areas of the borough undergoing, or anticipated to undergo, significant change | Consultation for this is anticipated for October 2026, with adoption in April 2027 |
Table 4: Production of supplementary planning documents already in preparation