The Parish Council has been given permission to co-opt to the current vacancy. If you would like more information regarding what it involves please contact the Clerk or any current Councillor.

If you would like to apply the policy and application form can be found on the ‘policies’ section of the council website.

Breckland Local Plan – Pre-submission (Regulation 19) Public Consultation & Gypsy and Traveller Call for Sites

We are writing to you because we hold your contact information, as you or your organisation have previously requested to be kept informed in relation to preparing the Breckland Local Plan, and voluntarily signed up to our Local Plan Mailing List to be kept informed, or have previously submitted representations to the Local Plan process.

New Local Plan for Breckland

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 16^th 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  

Email received from Breckland Council:

On the 13^th July the Local Plan is going to Cabinet with a recommendation to approve for regulation 19 consultation. The Plan and papers will be available when the agenda is released on the 3^rd July; the allocations map and draft Plan for Cabinet, is available today at https://arcg.is/1KO88i0 and  Citizen engagement platform | Breckland District Council .

If the consultation is approved at Cabinet the consultation shall start on the 31^st July and run until the 16^th September, this is the period that you are invited to make your formal comments however you can of course view the Plan and allocations from today.

White Street

Vicarage Road, Foulden.

The Government has commissioned an independent review, led by HM Treasury, into access to banking services across the UK (the ‘Access to Banking Services Review’). The Review is currently inviting evidence from a wide range of stakeholders, including consumers, businesses, community organisations, local authorities, financial institutions, and trade bodies.

The Review is examining how changes in access to banking services, such as bank branch closures and access to cash, are affecting individuals, businesses, and communities. It will consider who is most impacted and whether further action may be needed to support continued access to banking services. The evidence gathered will inform the Review’s final report, which is due to be submitted to Government in October 2026.

Breckland Council intends to submit a response to the Review and is encouraging residents, businesses, and community organisations across the district to share their experiences. Submissions are welcomed from anyone affected by changes to banking services, including bank branch closures, access to cash, and face-to-face banking provision, and the wider impacts these changes may have had locally.

The call for evidence is open until 20^th July 2026. Responses can be submitted via the online survey here: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/accesstobankingservices.

Your feedback will help ensure that the experiences of people and organisations across Breckland are reflected in the Review’s findings and recommendations.