Havering Council's Cabinet will next week consider a timetable to begin work on a new Local Plan for the Borough.
The Local Plan will set out how Havering should grow and develop between 2027 and 2042.
The report recommends launching an initial public consultation in January 2027 to help shape both the content of the new plan and how residents, businesses and stakeholders would like to be involved in its development.
The move follows significant changes to the national planning system, which require Councils across England to prepare new-style Local Plans under revised legislation and updated plan-making regulations.
As part of this process, Councils must undertake an early "scoping" consultation, seeking views on what issues the Local Plan should address and how local communities should be engaged throughout its preparation.
If approved by Cabinet on 11 November, Havering would publish notice of its intention to commence work on the new Local Plan later this month, ahead of a Borough-wide consultation expected to run from January 2027.
The consultation will provide an opportunity for residents, businesses, community groups, landowners and other stakeholders to help identify the priorities, challenges and opportunities that should shape the Borough's future.
Councillor Terry Brown, Cabinet Member for Planning, said:
"This is an important opportunity for residents and organisations across Havering to help shape the future of our Borough.
"The planning system sets many of the rules and requirements that Councils must work within, but this consultation will allow local people to tell us what matters most to them and help inform the direction of the new Local Plan.
"We want to hear views on housing, transport, infrastructure, employment, heritage, community facilities, green spaces and many other issues that will affect Havering over the coming decades."
The Council is beginning this work at a time of significant national and regional change in planning policy.
Earlier this year, the Greater London Authority consulted on a new London Plan, including proposals that would substantially increase housing delivery targets across the capital.
As part of that consultation, Havering formally objected to proposals that would increase the Borough's housing target by around 69 per cent and potentially require the release of Green Belt land to help meet London's housing needs.
The Council has made it clear that such proposals would place significant pressure on local infrastructure and services and must be carefully considered alongside the capacity of communities to accommodate growth.
The new Local Plan will provide the framework for how development is planned across Havering, including where homes, employment space, infrastructure and community facilities should be located, and how growth can support the Borough's wider ambitions and local character.
It will also be informed by ongoing work with key partners including the NHS, education providers, transport bodies, utility companies and neighbouring authorities to ensure future development is supported by the services, and infrastructure communities need.
Councillor Brown added:
"This consultation is not about whether Havering should have a Local Plan.
"The Council is required to prepare one. However, it is an opportunity to influence how future growth is planned, where infrastructure investment is needed, and how development can best support existing and future communities."
Whilst the Local Plan can influence where development takes place, what supporting infrastructure is needed and how places are designed, it cannot override national planning policy or strategic requirements set by Government and the London Plan.
The January consultation will focus on two key questions required by the new planning regulations:
- What should the new Local Plan include?
- How should Havering engage with residents, businesses and stakeholders throughout the plan-making process?
Following the scoping consultation, a draft Local Plan will be developed over the next two years, with further opportunities for public engagement before the final document is submitted for independent examination and eventual adoption.