Wirral Local Plan update

Recently introduced Government regulations will require Wirral to begin to renew its Local Plan, starting later this year.

Local Plans set a strategic vision for how an area will grow and change in the coming years, promoting sustainable development and long-term economic growth.

The renewed Local Plan will outline where new homes and employment sites can be delivered, as well as helping to identify the additional infrastructure required to support and guide Wirral’s regeneration, boost economic growth and improve quality of life for residents.

The updated Plan will be prepared following a new plan-making process brought in by the Government which sets a demanding timetable for delivering the completed Plan. The Government has said that councils must have their Local Plans drafted, consulted, examined and adopted within 30 months.

Wirral is among a group of councils required to renew their Local Plan because its existing Plan was examined under a previous version of national planning policy and the housing requirement in it was less than 80% of the recently revised local housing need, as recently set by the National Planning Policy Framework where housing need was recalculated using an updated “standard method”. 

Wirral’s planning officers are currently working on the timetable and planning for completing the new Local Plan.

The expectation is that Wirral’s Local Plan would be ready for submission for examination by end of September 2028, which means the council will need to pass through the first formal Gateway of the Plan making process at end October 2026.

The aim is that the new Local Plan’s examination will be complete and the Plan ready for adoption in 2029.