Residents in Harrogate invited to have their say on North Yorkshire's major new 20-year local plan

Communities are being encouraged to have their say on North Yorkshire’s first county-wide local plan which will help shape how the area grows and develops over the next 20 years.

North Yorkshire Council is today (October 26) launching a six-week scoping consultation which marks a key stage in preparing the authority’s new local plan under the Government’s updated national plan-making system.

The consultation invites views on what the local plan should contain and how the council should engage with residents, businesses and organisations throughout its development.

The single countywide strategy will replace the adopted local plans that currently cover the former district and borough council areas of Harrogate, Craven, Hambleton, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby.

The new local plan will provide a single blueprint for how North Yorkshire grows and develops up to 2045, guiding decisions on planning applications across the council area.

It will also help determine where new homes, jobs and supporting infrastructure should be located, while setting out how important landscapes, heritage assets and environmental features should be protected and enhanced.

As the plan is still at a very early stage, the council is asking residents, businesses, community groups and other organisations to help shape its direction by sharing their views through the consultation.

This consultation is the first of three formal opportunities for people to influence the plan before it is adopted, alongside a series of mandatory checkpoints known as gateways, which are designed to identify and resolve potential issues at key stages of the process.

North Yorkshire Council's deputy leader and executive member for open to business, Councillor Mark Crane, whose responsibilities include local plan development, said: “The local plan will play a crucial role in setting out where we feel planned, coordinated and sustainable development should take place across North Yorkshire for years to come.

“It will influence where new homes, jobs and services are located, how we protect our environment, support our economy and create thriving, sustainable communities.

“We are at an early stage in preparing the plan, and this consultation provides an important opportunity for people to tell us what issues they think it should address and how they would like to be involved as it progresses.

“We want to hear from as many people as possible because their views will help shape the plan and ensure it reflects the needs and aspirations of communities across North Yorkshire.”

The consultation is the first under the Government's new national plan-making system, which came into force in March this year and replaced planning regulations introduced in 2012.

The new system places a greater emphasis on digital plan-making, including the use of standardised data, user-friendly online tools and searchable electronic documents.

Earlier work undertaken by the council will continue to inform the process.

In 2025, residents and organisations took part in a "first conversation" consultation on issues and options for the county's first local plan.

While the council is required to begin again under the new national system, the feedback received through that engagement remains important and will help shape the new strategy.

Following the closure of this consultation, which runs until Monday, December 7, the council will publish a summary of the responses received.

The feedback will help inform the next stage of preparing the plan.

The council is expected to go through the first gateway in April 2027, and it is hoped that the local plan will be adopted by the end of 2029.

For more information, visit www.northyorks.gov.uk/localplan