We have been on a journey over the last 2 years, working with you, our residents, community organisations, residents’ groups and others to develop the council’s new Local Plan.

Our vision of creating new spaces for our residents, across our all our 7 towns, whether its genuinely affordable homes, bustling community centres, or thriving highstreets is key in building a better borough for the next generation of Ealing residents.

These places are right at the very heart of creating a sense of place in our borough, so our residents can live in neighbourhoods filled with identity, pride, and purpose, and this plan has an important part to play in making this a reality.

What is a Local Plan and why do we need one?

Each local planning authority has to prepare a Local Plan for its area. 

A Local Plan guides decisions on future development proposals and addresses the needs and opportunities of the area. Topics that Local Plans usually cover include housing, public spaces, employment and shops and they also identify where development should take place and areas where development should be restricted. Following extensive consultation, the latest version of Ealing’s Local Plan was presented at the full council meeting this week.

This is a key stage in a long path towards a critical set of policies which will provide a framework for shaping development across the 7 towns the borough over the next 15 years. This stage is officially referred to as ‘Regulation 19.’

Making the most of what we have

We want to take advantage of the strengths that our borough has to offer: unrivalled connectivity with 5 Elizabeth line stations, the A40 and the soon arriving HS2, industrial opportunity with Park Royal and Southall, and our wealth of green and open spaces.

Our vision for the local plan is one where growth is spread across all of our borough’s 7 towns, so that our residents can have access to genuinely affordable homes, good and well-paid jobs, and live in communities filled with identity and pride.

The Local Plan also shows what needs to be protected, conserved or enhanced, such as our amazing green spaces, canals and heritage assets. Getting the plan right is of huge importance because it not only helps shape the borough for future generations, but it is also crucial in helping us deliver on our other key priorities of tackling the climate crisis and fighting inequalities.

So many of you have played your part

We want the new Local Plan to improve life for everyone in Ealing.

Thousands of residents from across the borough have provided feedback on this plan as it has developed, and we know that building upon this will allow us to make Ealing a destination rather than just a suburb; where new businesses can grow and thrive, and our residents can live, learn, and raise a family.

To make sure that we get these important policies right, we have consulted widely on earlier versions of the new Local Plan also called Shaping Ealing or ‘Regulation 18’.

It was one of the largest consultations ever to have taken place in the borough and received thousands of responses through our online surveys, events and public meetings.

It represented more responses than we’ve ever had before, so a big ‘thank you’ to all of you who took part. This was a huge help because you told us how you feel about things that affect your community and what is most important to you.

We’ve listened to concerns and new ideas and made a number of changes to key policies along the way. We’re incredibly excited about the new Local Plan and how it will transform the borough over the next 15 years.

What happens now?

Following the meeting of the full council, he latest version of the plan will be submitted to the Secretary of State for approval.

Residents and others still have an opportunity to make final comments on the plan.

These are called ‘representations’ and this stage of the consultation will be launched on 28 February for a period of 6 weeks.

You will be able to find information on how to make representations on the council’s website once the consultation period starts on 28 February.