Issues and Options
We are starting a two-year journey to create a Local Plan, which will set out how our area should grow and develop in the future. Taking this time means we can listen to local people and stakeholders, gather the right evidence, and make sure the plan meets the needs of our community. The way we create the Local Plan follows Bolton Council’s Statement of Community Involvement, which is our commitment to involving local people in planning decisions.
This is the first of three chances for you to have your say on the Local Plan. In this first stage of consultation, we want to:
- Explain how the Local Plan process works;
- Give you a clear overview of the main topics and challenges; and
- Hear your thoughts at this early stage through a short survey.
You can access the document and consultation through the council’s Active Consultations webpage.
The Local Plan document we are consulting on now is the ‘Issues and Options’ scoping stage. Before sharing this document with you here, we spoke to different teams across the council and received over 100 responses. Their ideas have helped shape what you see here today.
Alongside the Local Plan document, we’ve provided answers to some ‘Frequently Asked Questions’. We’ve also provided a survey through which you can share your views, provide evidence, and sign up for updates as the plan develops. In the next stage of consultation (this autumn and winter), we will also hold in-person events across the borough.
Call for Sites
Our ‘Call for Sites’ ran from 4th March to 15th April 2025, inviting landowners, developers and residents to put forward sites that could have potential for future use. In total, we received 108 formal submissions.
The types of sites submitted covered a wide range of uses, including:
- Housing;
- Employment land;
- Recreation and leisure facilities; and
- Green space and environmental improvements
It is important to note that a submission does not guarantee that a site will be taken forward in the Local Plan. Currently, all submissions are being carefully assessed against planning criteria to understand their suitability.