Residents are being invited to help shape where thousands of new homes, jobs and infrastructure could be located across North Yorkshire over the next 20 years.
North Yorkshire Council has launched a six-week consultation on its first county-wide local plan, which will guide development and planning decisions up to 2045.
The new strategy will replace the separate local plans covering the former district and borough council areas of Richmondshire, Hambleton, Harrogate, Craven, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby.
It will determine where future housing and employment developments should be located, alongside the infrastructure needed to support growing communities.
The plan will also set out policies to protect important landscapes, heritage sites and the environment.
The consultation, which opened on Monday, October 26, is an early opportunity for residents, businesses and community groups to influence what the plan should contain and how they would like to be involved in its development.
North Yorkshire Council’s deputy leader and executive member for open to business, Cllr Mark Crane, said the plan would play a crucial role in shaping the county’s future.
He said: “The local plan will play a crucial role in setting out where we feel planned, coordinated and sustainable development should take place across North Yorkshire for years to come.
“It will influence where new homes, jobs and services are located, how we protect our environment, support our economy and create thriving, sustainable communities.
“We are at an early stage in preparing the plan, and this consultation provides an important opportunity for people to tell us what issues they think it should address and how they would like to be involved as it progresses.
“We want to hear from as many people as possible because their views will help shape the plan and ensure it reflects the needs and aspirations of communities across North Yorkshire.”
The consultation is the first to be held under the Government’s new national plan-making system, introduced in March.
The revised system places greater emphasis on digital planning, including online tools, searchable documents and standardised information.
The council previously consulted residents and organisations in 2025 as part of a preliminary discussion about the new local plan.
Although the authority has had to restart the formal process under the new national regulations, it says the feedback received last year will still help shape the strategy.
The current consultation is the first of three formal opportunities for the public to influence the plan before it is adopted.
Once the consultation closes, the council will publish a summary of the responses and use them to inform the next stage of preparation.
The authority expects to reach the first formal checkpoint in April 2027, with the completed local plan due to be adopted by the end of 2029.
The consultation runs until Monday, December 7.
Residents can find out more and submit their views at www.northyorks.gov.uk/localplan.
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