Seven-year project to map out future development in Cannock Chase almost at an end

The new Cannock Chase Local Plan, which provides a blueprint for where new housing and employment areas should be built in the district in the years leading up to 2040, has been recommended for formal adoption.

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Cabinet members at Cannock Chase District Council backed the plan at a meeting on Monday (March 16) and recommended it should be approved by the full council. 

If this approval is granted at a special meeting next Monday (March 23), the Local Plan will become a statutory document, providing the area with a guaranteed five-year housing land supply for the first time since 2023 and a protection for communities against speculative development proposals.

The district is currently covered by a Local Plan which was adopted in 2014, spanning the years from 2006 to 2028. Work on the next part of that plan began in 2016, but following changes to national planning policy and a significant housing shortfall, the council decided to pause work and undertake a full review instead.

Between 2018 and 2024 there have been four public consultation stages. The draft Local Plan was submitted for public examination in November 2024, with independent examination hearings taking place in May, June and July last year.

An inspector confirmed in September that the Plan could proceed to the Proposed Modifications stage, with consultation carried out from October to December. The council received the final Inspector’s Report earlier this month, which confirms the Plan is sound and legally compliant, subject to the previously consulted modifications.

Councillor Garry Samuels, Portfolio Leader for Regeneration and High Streets, is the latest cabinet member to oversee the Local Plan preparation process. He said at Monday’s cabinet meeting: “This is the culmination of seven years of detailed work, extensive consultation and rigorous examination.

“I’m delighted to say the final Inspector’s Report was received on March 5. This means the council is in a position to adopt the Local Plan and will be the envy of councils up and down the country that don’t have an adopted Plan in place.

“It will protect our communities from speculative, unplanned development and sets out a balanced, sustainable strategy to 2040. It identifies the right sites and places, ensures development is infrastructure-led and growth is properly planned, not imposed.”

Fellow cabinet member Councillor John Preece paid tribute to the efforts of those who had worked on behalf of communities on the Plan, including in Norton Canes. He said: “When I first became a councillor we were looking at the Green Belt review – from that we discovered up to 12 sites in Norton Canes could have been put in for development.

“Thanks to efforts, that has been pushed back and now there are two sites in Lichfield Road. I think it is also important that people realise it’s not just about allocated housing sites, but also employment land.”