Breckland Local Plan – Pre-submission (Regulation 19) Public Consultation & Gypsy and Traveller Call for Sites
Breckland residents now have another opportunity to have their say on plans for the district’s future, following the launch of a consultation on Friday 31st July. The consultation enables local people to review the latest version of Breckland’s Council’s Local Plan, which sets out how Breckland should grow over the Plan period to 2043.
The consultation is underway after the draft Local Plan was reviewed by the authority’s Cabinet at their recent meeting. It is a wide-reaching document which includes, primarily, sites for new homes and employment. It also covers issues such as water usage, agri-tech and how much affordable housing is required.
The document is mandated by Government and guides where development will take place and how the district’s housing target, which is set by Central Government, will be met. The new government housing target was increased by around 45% from the previous target, now requiring the building of 920 new houses in Breckland every year. As a result, Breckland Council is required to identify sufficient land to deliver at least 16,560 new homes over the life of the Local Plan.
Call for Sites for additional Gypsy and Traveller land
In addition to the formal consultation, Cabinet also noted that to meet the Government’s requirements to provide sufficient sites for gypsy and travellers to use, additional land should ideally be identified for this purpose. As a result, a separate ‘call for sites’ will also get underway, inviting local landowners to suggest suitable locations to help meet this need.
The consultation is set to run alongside the Regulation 19 Public Consultation from 31st July to 23:59 on 16th September 2026. As with the previous consultation, people will be able to submit their sites via the Council’s dedicated consultation platform GoVocal or by completing a comment form electronically, by post or at one of the upcoming drop-in events (details below).
Consultation period
The consultation opens Friday 31st July and closes at 23:59 on Wednesday 16th September 2026.
Consultation matters
This final consultation stage is your chance to make representations on whether the document is legally compliant i.e. has been prepared in accordance with the relevant legislation and whether it is ‘sound’ i.e. positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy.
How to view the consultation materials
The proposed submission documents, and all supporting documents, will be available via Planning Policy – Breckland Council (www.breckland.gov.uk/planning-policy) from Friday 31st July 2026. Paper copies will be available to view over the consultation period at public libraries in the District, and during normal office opening hours at Breckland’s Main Offices at Elizabeth House, Walpole Loke, Dereham, NR19 1EE and at Thetford House, Nicholas Street, Thetford, IP24 1BT.
How to respond
You can make representations using our online consultation portal. This is the best way to comment as it ensures that your comments are summarised and recorded accurately and are processed quickly. The online system allows for attachments to be uploaded (e.g. for more detailed comments, or supplementary evidence). Officers will process representations submitted online, before processing email or postal correspondence. You can access the online consultation portal at the following link: https://breckland.govocal.com/en-GB/ or, attend a drop-in event below:
Local Plan Regulation 19 consultation drop-in events:
- 17 August (9.30am-1.30pm): Thetford Library
- 20 August (9.30am-1.30pm): Dereham Library
- 21 August (9.30am-1.30pm): Swaffham Community Centre
- 26 August (9.30am-1.30pm): Watton Library
- 28 August (9.30am-1.30pm): Attleborough Library
- 1 September (1pm-6.30pm): Bridgham and Roudham Village Hall (Chapel Lane Bridgham) – focussed on Roudham and Larling growth proposals
- 3 September (1pm-6.30pm): East Harling Old School Hall – focussed on Roudham and Larling growth proposals
- 8 September (1pm-6.30pm): Breckland Council office, Dereham – focussed on East Tuddenham growth proposals
- 9 September (4pm-7.30pm): Breckland Council office, Dereham
Other ways of responding
If you have any difficultly in making your representation by the above method, please contact us so that we can discuss how best to assist you in making a representation (e.g. ‘Paper’ or ‘Microsoft Word’ forms can be made available upon request). Paper or emailable comments should be sent on the relevant form to the address(es) below.
If you cannot reply to the consultation using the online consultation system, please complete an electronic Word version of the response form and email it to: localplan@breckland.gov.uk
Filling in the form makes sure that we have all the correct information to register and process your views and to keep you informed of progress on the Breckland District Local Plan 2025- 2043. Alternatively, you can print out a copy of the form to complete with a pen (using black ink), and then send to:
Local Plan Regulation 19 Consultation
Planning Policy Team
Breckland Council
Elizabeth House
Walpole Loke
Dereham
Norfolk
NR19 1EE
If you have any queries regarding the Regulation 19 Consultation and Call for Sites, please contact the Planning Policy Team at planning.policyteam@breckland.gov.uk