The New Harrow Local Plan 2021-2041
The New Harrow Local Plan 2021-2041
Harrow Local Plan 2021-2041: Consultation on Proposed Main Modifications
Monday 10 November 2025 (11:59am) to Tuesday 23 December 2025 (12:01pm)
The London Borough of Harrow submitted the draft Harrow Local Plan 2021-2041 for independent examination on 26 February 2025. The examination is being carried out by an independent Planning Inspector appointed on behalf of the Secretary of State.
As part of the examination, public hearing sessions took place in June, July and October 2025 and following those hearings the Inspector has asked the Council to consult on a set of proposed Main Modifications (reference: LBH/ED30).
To find out more about the independent examination, including a full library of all submission documents and details of how to contact the Programme Officer, see Local Plan Examination.
What are Main Modifications?
Sound / Soundness
For a Local Plan to be found sound it must:
be positively prepared (based on what the area actually needs and on proportionate evidence),
be justified (the most appropriate strategy when compared with reasonable alternatives),
be effective (deliverable over the plan period), and
be consistent with national policy.
The Main Modifications set out a series of changes required to resolve issues that make the Local Plan unsound or where it is not legally compliant. These changes are being published for consultation now without prejudice to the Inspector’s ultimate conclusions and recommendations on the Plan.
Please note that comments can only be made on the proposed Main Modifications to the Local Plan, not the full draft Plan as submitted for Examination on 26 February 2025.
How should I make my comment?
If you want to make a representation with regards to the Main Modifications, you should set out clearly:
which Main Modification you are commenting on, and,
why you consider the Main Modification is legally non-compliant or is unsound, (having regard as appropriate to the soundness criteria set out above).
It will also be helpful if you also say precisely how you think the Plan should be modified. Further details on how to respond can be found in the section below.
Policies Map changes
The Council has also published proposed revisions to the Policies Map (online only) (reference: LBH/ED33) and Atlas of Change (LBH/ED34). These do not form part of the Main Modifications rather they are published alongside them and are limited to those needed to give effect to the Main Modifications. Comments should relate only to these changes as part of this consultation stage.
Additional Modifications
Alongside the Main Modifications the Council is also publishing a schedule of Additional Modifications (reference: LBH/ED35).
Additional Modifications are changes that taken together the Council considers do not materially affect the Plan and which it can therefore make when the Plan is adopted. These are minor changes and include factual updates and changes for consistency, clarity and corrections.
These Additional Modifications are not required to make the Plan sound, and they do not form part of the formal examination. This means that any comments on Additional Modifications will be considered by the Council rather than the Inspector.
Other supporting documents
An updated Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) (which includes the Sustainability Appraisal and the Habitats Regulations Assessment) (reference: LBH/ED31 and appendices) and Non-Technical Summary (LBH/ED32) has also been published for viewing and comment.
Other supporting documents such as the Council’s responses to the Inspector’s requests (LBH/ED15 to LBH/ED29), are also available to view in the Examination Library.
Where you can view the documents during the consultation
All consultation documents are available:
- on the Local Plan Examination website
- for inspection at all Harrow Libraries (during opening hours) as well as the Harrow Council Hub (by appointment).
The documents available are:
- the Schedule of Main Modifications (LBH/ED30),
- the updated Policies Map (LBH/ED33) and Atlas of Change (LBH/ED34),
- the Schedule of Additional Modifications (LBH/ED35), and
- the updated Integrated Impact Assessment (including the Sustainability Appraisal) and the Habitats Regulations Assessment (in Appendix G LBH/ED31) and Non-technical Summary (LBH/ED32).
How to comment
The consultation will run for six weeks starting at 11:59am Monday 10 November 2025 and conclude at 12:01pm Tuesday 23 December 2025.
Please use the Council’s representation form, which is available on the website (in Word and PDF) and at all locations where physical copies of consultation documents can be found, and return it by email or post (details can be found on the form) before 12:01pm Tuesday 23 December 2025.
The Council has also published a Statement of Representations Procedure.
Please note that representations and comments will be made publicly available. We will remove personal contact information. We will also need to provide the contact details of those who have made comments to the Programme Officer (who is responsible for organising and managing the Examination and is independent of the Council) so that they can be kept informed of the examination process.
You can request to be notified of the progress of the Examination, including the publication of the Inspectors’ report and adoption of the Local Plan.
What happens next?
After the consultation has closed, the Inspector will review any representations received and write her final report.
Find out more about the Independent Examination
The Council has a set of pages dedicated to the independent examination, including a full library of all submission documents and details of how to contact the Programme Officer, see Local Plan Examination.
The independent examination is the final stage of the Local Plan process before it can be legally adopted. The Planning Inspectorate will appoint an inspector to lead the examination of the Harrow Local Plan on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The Council has appointed Louise St John Howe as the Programme Officer for the examination of the Local Plan. The Programme Officer works on behalf of the Inspector to organise and manage administrative and procedural aspects of the Examination process. She is the key point of contact for queries of this nature or matters to be raised directly with the Inspector.
What is a Local Plan?
Local Plans are documents that set out a vision and a framework for the future development of an area, addressing needs and opportunities in relation to housing, the economy, community facilities, infrastructure, the environment, climate change adaptation, and good design
Why is the Harrow Local Plan important?
The policies within the Local Plan are used to guide development and decide planning applications. They also assist in the delivery of many Council services and priorities, such as the securing of affordable housing, achieving high quality development in the borough, managing the location, quantity, and quality of development, and promoting the vibrancy and vitality of our town centres.
All of these aspects help to fulfil the Council’s priorities of putting residents first, and creating a borough that residents can be proud of.
The policies are set within the Local Plan for at least the next 5 years, so it is important to have your say on them, and help the council get it right.
Why does Harrow need a new Local Plan?
The current Local Plan was adopted in 2012 and 2013 and can be found here.
Much has changed nationally, regionally, and locally since the current Local Plan was adopted. Consequently, under national and regional policies, many aspects of it are considered out-of-date and therefore a new Local Plan is required.
The new Local Plan will cover a 20-year period from 2021 to 2041.
What is the process for preparing the New Harrow Local Plan?
There are several stages to the Local Plan process, you can find detailed information on this in the Local Development Scheme (LDS) which was adopted by the Council on Thursday 16 February, and can be accessed in the Documents section of this page.
The preparation of the Local Plan includes an assessment of how policies could influence sustainability (including environmental, social and economic outcomes) health and equalities. The purpose of the IIA is to highlight and, where possible, address any undesirable effects that may arise regarding sustainability (such as the environment, society and economy), health or equalities as well as identify opportunities for improvements. All Local Plan policies, including alternative policy options have been appraised in the IIA. A Habitats Regulations Assessment (HRA) is also necessary to assess whether protected habitats and species may be adversely impacted by the plan’s implementation. A HRA screening assessment has been included within appendix G of the IIA (and summarised in section 11) , to assess any potential impacts of the Local Plan on any species or habitats. The findings of this are reflected in the IIA report.
Privacy Notice
We will only process personal data where we have consent to do so, and you can withdraw your consent at any time. By submitting your personal data in the response form you are consenting for us to process your data and/or consenting to be added to the consultation database. If added to the database, you can be removed upon request.
This data is collected, collated, and then submitted to the Secretary of State, who will appoint an Inspector to conduct an independent examination of the Local Plan. Demographic data will be processed anonymously to assess the effectiveness of our consultation. Where you have consented, your contact details will be added to our consultation database for future consultations and updates on the Examination in Public.
At submission representations will be made public on the council’s website, including name of person and organisation if applicable making representation. Other personal information will remain confidential. Further details contact dpo@harrow.gov.uk
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