Mid Devon District Council will formally kick off work on a new Local Plan for the district on 26 May 2026, marking the start of an important process that will help shape how the area grows and develops in the years ahead.

This follows the Government’s introduction earlier this year of a new requirement for councils to prepare Local Plans within a 30-month timeframe.

As part of the launch, the Council will be publishing a new Local Plan timetable, setting out the key stages and dates for preparing the plan. Alongside this, a Notice of Intention to Commence preparing the Local Plan will be issued.

A scoping consultation will also open on the same day, giving residents, businesses and stakeholders the chance to have their say right from the outset. This is an early opportunity to share views on:

• what the new Local Plan should cover
• the key issues it should address
• how people would like to be kept informed as work progresses

Councillor Keable, Cabinet Member for Planning and Economic Regeneration, said:

“A new local plan is legally required to bring forward sites for new homes, jobs, infrastructure and other uses to meet the needs of the district over the next 20 years. This launch marks an important step to put in place a blueprint for how Mid Devon will be developed, while protecting the natural and built environment and responding to climate change. We urge anyone with an interest in Plan Mid Devon to get involved and we want to hear your views. The scoping consultation will be followed by a further consultation in early 2027 where there will be an opportunity to comment on the draft content of the new local plan and its evidence. This will include potential site options and draft policies. A consultation on the completed draft of the local plan will take place in early 2028 before the draft local plan is finalised and then submitted to the Government for its examination, leading to its expected adoption in the spring 2029.”

The Council is encouraging anyone with an interest in the future of Mid Devon to get involved.

The consultation will run until 5pm on Friday 10 July 2026. More information, including how to take part, will be made available on the Council’s website from 26 May at Let's Talk Mid Devon.

You can also contact planmiddevon@middevon.gov.uk