The Planning Policy Team is responsible for the preparation and monitoring of the local planning policy framework, including Burnley’s Local Plan.
‘Burnley’s Local Plan’ is the development plan for the borough for non-minerals and waste matters and covers the period 2012-2032. It was adopted on 31 July 2018. It fully replaces the 2006 Burnley Local Plan. It was ‘reviewed‘ in July 2023 and determined not to require updating.
The Plan will be accompanied by a separate Gypsy and Traveller Site Allocations development plan document. Work on this is currently paused awaiting the outcome of the proposed plan-making reforms set out in the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023.
The Council’s Local Development Scheme (LDS) provides information on the planning policy documents that the Council proposes to prepare.
The Council has adopted a number of Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) which provide further interpretation and guidance on planning policies.
The annual Authority Monitoring Report (AMR) monitors plan-making progress and how the Council’s planning policies are performing against any set targets or indicators.
Planning policy documents are subject to public consultation and the Council’s adopted Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) sets how consultation on the development of new documents will be carried out.
A number of Evidence Base studies were prepared to inform the development of the Local Plan.
The Planning Policy team is also responsible for aspects of the Council’s Heritage Conservation service including the preparation of Conservation Area Appraisals and Conservation Area Management Plans; and for supporting Neighbourhood Planning.
Minerals and waste planning is the responsibility of Lancashire County Council.
You may also be interested in our Mapping Data.
What’s New: (January 2026)
A Housing Statistics Release was prepared in June 2026 setting out some key housing development statistics to 31 March 2026.
The Council’s Annual Monitoring Report (AMR) for 2024/5 was published in January 2026.
The Council’s latest Five Year Housing Land Assessment was prepared in October 2025 which sets out the current 5-year housing land supply position.
The Government issued a new NPPF on 12 December 2024.
The 2023 Housing Delivery Test (HDT) results were published by the Government in December 2024.
An updated version of the IDP was published in December 2024.