Reform scraps West Northamptonshire Council’s Local Plan to ‘get it right’ as opposition brands decision ‘reckless’

UPDATE: Reform leader 'disappointed' after Government orders West Northamptonshire Council to press ahead with Local Plan after bid to scrap it The decision was made by the council’s Planning Policy Committee on Monday evening (September 14), with the Reform UK administration rejecting the draft Regulation 19 Local Plan.

The council said the decision would allow it to produce a new plan based on the 2026 National Planning Policy Framework and 2026 Town and Country Planning Regulations.

The move has been welcomed by Reform and Conservative councillors but attacked by Labour and Liberal Democrat opposition members, who warned it could leave the area exposed to speculative development.

Councillor Thomas Manning, chairman of West Northamptonshire Council’s Planning Policy Committee and cabinet member for planning, said: “Since work started on the draft Plan several years ago, the planning system has undergone considerable change, with the Government introducing a fundamentally different approach.

“Decisions made through this Plan will shape our communities for decades to come and determine where thousands of homes, jobs, infrastructure and community facilities will be delivered. We owe it to our residents to ensure it reflects the latest national policy and not to rush it through a dated system that’s being replaced.

“Over 6,000 responses to the Plan’s recent consultation is a huge level of public engagement and among these responses were a number of concerns expressed by our communities, particularly around the proposed scale of growth for rural areas.

“Only very limited changes can be made to the current draft Plan at this stage and we need more time to fully address residents’ concerns. Starting afresh will enable more meaningful engagement with residents and in the context of the new national planning framework.”

West Northamptonshire Council leader Cllr Mark Arnull said: “There is still great uncertainty around future devolution arrangements for West Northants and our residents firstly deserve clarity on these issues, so we can plan our future growth strategy alongside neighbouring authorities, rather than in isolation.

“We fully recognise that preparing a Local Plan is a lengthy and costly process and that starting again carries risks around a continued reliance on existing plans and the potential for speculative development in the meantime. But the risks of rushing this Plan through and potentially getting it wrong for our residents and future generations far outweighs this.

“This is not about whether the current draft Plan is technically sound or deliverable, it’s about whether it is the right Plan for West Northamptonshire that will support future growth in decades to come, with the right housing and infrastructure, transport and community facilities.”

The decision means years of work on the Local Plan will have to be restarted.

Council officers estimate preparing a replacement plan will cost more than £700,000 on top of money already spent. The additional expenditure has not been budgeted for.

West Northamptonshire Council has been working on its new Local Plan since 2021, following work which began under the former Conservative administration.

The Local Plan sets out where and how much housing, employment and other development should take place.

The draft plan had already been through four public consultations, alongside extensive evidence gathering and preparation. It was ready for its final six-week public consultation before being submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination.

Officers estimate preparing a replacement plan will take around three years under the new timetable.

Labour has criticised the decision, saying it could leave West Northamptonshire without a local plan to guide development.

Cllr Sally Keeble, Labour Group leader, said: “This reckless move will create a wild west for development: it provides a green light for developers to put in speculative building plans knowing that there is no local plan to protect the public interest.. If it takes as long to develop a replacement plan it will be at least 2030 before we get local safeguards.”

Cllr Bob Purser, Labour Group deputy leader, said: “We will lose the progress that’s been made in regulating houses in multiple occupation. That risks making things worse in central Northampton where HMOs have led to an increase in refuse, fly-tipping and noise nuisance.”

Both Labour councillors spoke in favour of approving the plan to go out to consultation at Monday night's Planning Policy Committee meeting.

Cllr Purser is a member of the committee but does not have a vote. Only three Reform executive members sitting on the committee are entitled to vote.

Liberal Democrats also criticised the decision, claiming six years of work had been thrown away and more than £4 million of taxpayers' money had already been spent.

Liberal Democrat Group leader Cllr Jonathan Harris said: “Speculative applications for a council with less than a five-year land supply leaves us open to a free for all approach to development. It leaves our communities vulnerable.

“The proposed Local Plan was not perfect, and Liberal Democrat councillors have raised concerns about some of its policies and omissions. However, having an adopted Local Plan would have provided West Northamptonshire with clearer planning policies and greater control over where development takes place.”

Liberal Democrat Cllr Andrew Simpson said: “This is a reckless waste of public money and is likely to make it harder, not easier, to control development in our villages and communities. The proposed plan wasn't perfect, but it would have given communities and councillors a much stronger framework for deciding where development should go. Instead, Reform have chosen to throw years of work away and leave West Northamptonshire more exposed to speculative development while another plan is prepared. What is particularly concerning is that there was no clear or compelling reason presented for throwing away the existing plan. This is yet another example of West Northamptonshire Council’s Reform UK administration going rogue.”

Lib Dem Cllr Rosie Humphreys said: “There are parts of the plan that we, as ward members, take issue with, as well as omissions in policies that we regret. However, we cannot agree that the decision made by the Executive on Monday evening was a sound one made in the best interests of West Northamptonshire residents. One has to wonder whether this is simply a platform for political posturing and future election campaigns.”

Cllr Harris added: “The Government is pursuing an extremely ambitious housebuilding strategy. If WNC is required to run both processes concurrently, the Reform administration’s decision could end up costing taxpayers even more, while creating further uncertainty for communities and developers. The irony is that Reform claim to want greater local control over development. Their decision to scrap the Local Plan could actually make it harder for local communities to have a meaningful say over where development takes place.”

A Lib Dem spokesman also pointed to the Government’s recent direction to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council to proceed with its Regulation 19 plan.

Conservative leader Daniel Lister welcomed the decision considering 1,000 new homes in his Long Buckby ward were part of the plan. He said: "Great news. It was the right decision, and I commend the committee for having the courage to make it.

“The plan itself had been written to rules the Government scrapped last month. The allocations would have been locked in, the protections would not have been worth much. That is not a plan worth having.

“Starting again means a plan written to rules that actually apply, built around what this area genuinely needs. The work done over the past seven years is not thrown away either, it feeds into the new process.

“A strong new Local Plan is the best tool we have to shape and manage that pressure, and I will be fighting to make sure it does exactly that.”