The Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan was adopted by South Hams District Council on 21 March 2019, Plymouth City Council on 26 March 2019 and West Devon Borough Council on 26 March 2019.
The three councils have joined up to create this plan which looks at every aspect of how we want our cities, towns and villages to look and feel over the next 20 years. Now adopted, the Joint Local Plan replaces all previous development plans in each local authority and in Plymouth, the existing policies in the Plymouth Plan will also be combined with the Plymouth-specific policies in the new Joint Local Plan to create one document.
The adopted Joint Local Plan covers the administrative areas of Plymouth City, South Hams District and West Devon Borough and forms part of the Development Plan for these areas.
For more information, please visit Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan: Adoption.
5 Year review of the Joint Local Plan
The Joint Local Plan (JLP) was adopted on 26 March 2019 and is five years old as of March 2024.
There is a national policy requirement that a local planning authority must complete a review of their Local Plan at least every five years of their plan period. The purpose of the five-year review of JLP is to ensure that a plan and its policies, that set the strategic context for development to 2034, remain effective and establish whether evidence suggests the plan may need updating.
The constituent Councils of the JLP have now carried out an assessment of the JLP, in accordance with national policy, guidance and legislation. The outcome of this assessment is set out in The Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan Five Year Review Report 2024.
The Five-Year Review Report 2024 demonstrates that the JLP continues to provide an effective strategy for the management of growth and development across the whole plan area. The Councils conclude that the spatial strategy, strategic objectives, and planning policies and JLP remain up to date when read as a whole. The JLP therefore remains sound and will continue to be used in full for the purpose of decision making.