Download the Gateway 1 Self Assessment (pdf document, 1 MB)
This self-assessment is based on the Government’s suggested template. A separate ‘readiness checker’ has also been published.
View the Gateway 1 Readiness Checker (Excel Spreadsheet download)
This is also based on a Government template.
Summary
This Gateway 1 Assessment briefly details the progress we have made so far in preparing a new Local Plan for the North York Moors National Park. In summary, we are satisfied with our progress so far and remain confident that we will consult on a draft in May next year, in line with our published timetable. We are also confident that we will meet the 30 month preparation period that starts from the publication of this assessment. We have carried out the statutory steps that are required under the 2026 Local Plan Regulations to this point.
The National Park Authority is also the minerals and waste planning authority. Regulation 41 of the Local Plan Regulations requires that "the minerals and waste planning authority must prepare, in connection with the preparation of their minerals and waste plan document, a document to be known as their 'self-assessment summary.'" The new Local Plan will include policy on minerals and waste and the preparation of policies on these matters will run to the same timetable as the Local Plan. This summary therefore covers the information required for the purposes of complying with Regulation 41.
How we prepared to commence the new Local Plan review
The ‘intention to commence local plan preparation’ was approved by the National Park Authority on 29 June 2026.
We formally commenced preparation of a new Local Plan for the North York Moors National Park on 31 October 2026, the date of publication of this Gateway Assessment.
Government policy says we should adopt the new plan within 30 months of this date. This is to help ensure we have an up-to-date local plan that responds to the needs of the area and our communities.
This page explains what we did to get ready to meet the 30-month timeframe. It also has links to further information and where you can get updates.
At the ‘intention to commence’ stage we published the following:
View a summary of the ‘first steps’ we have taken
View the Notice of Intention to Commence Local Plan Preparation
View the Statement that the Local Plan Timetable is to have Effect
View the Notice of Scoping Consultation
We published a timetable for preparing the plan
The timetable shows when we expect to carry out the different stages and activities for preparing a plan. This is included in our Project Plan. It helps us monitor progress and ensure the Plan can be adopted within the 30-month timeframe. We’ll keep this updated as we make more progress. The plan timetable shows the route to adopting the plan within 30 months of the publication of this document, setting out a step-by-step process for a timely adoption of the plan.
In our project plan we have assessed the risks which may cause delays, and we are confident that we will be able to deliver on the timetable and adopt our Local Plan within 30 months.
We established project management and governance arrangements
Preparing a local plan is a complex process. It involves many people across the National Park Authority and from other organisations. Thinking early about how the work is planned, managed and signed off helps us monitor our progress and keep the work on track. It also helps us anticipate and manage any risks to us adopting the plan within 30 months.
We created a Project Plan following the format set out in the planning advisory service’s PID template. The Project Plan sets out the management framework and approach to delivering the Local Plan. It also includes a Risk Management Plan, which identifies potential risks that may hinder the production of a new Local Plan and assigns clear strategies to mitigate these risks. The Project Plan also sets out which members of staff are responsible for the work, providing clear accountability.
We have also set up a Development Plan Working Group comprising 9 Members. This has already met 6 times and will continue to meet and advise officers over the 30 month preparation timeframe. We anticipate it meeting around every two months.
We planned how we’ll consult on the plan
Public consultation is essential for the local plan to represent the needs of our communities. It must be easy for people to have their say in a way that works for them, so they can influence the way the area develops. By planning this early, we can ensure people are aware in advance and can get involved from the start.
Our Project Plan includes a section on how we will engage people and organisations as we prepare a new Local Plan.
We have established a Local Plan consultation database containing the contact details of statutory consultees, other organisations and members of the public. If you would like to receive updates on the development of our planning policies, please email us at policy@northyorkmoors.org.uk.
We began scoping the content of the plan
Scoping includes considering how well the existing plan is working and gathering baseline information about the area. This helps to identify our future needs and ambitions. Starting this early means we can begin preparing the new plan with a clear vision, making it quicker and easier to consult on the plan and make decisions about it.
We have already undertaken a scoping consultation (‘First Steps’) to get people’s views on what the plan could contain and how we propose to consult on the plan at key stages. As part of this we published a web page called 'Current Thinking' which asked ten questions around 4 themes. It also included a draft ‘vision.’ This ran from 30 June 2006 to 31 August 2026.
View our 'Current Thinking' page
View our First Steps - Consultation Report
We are also actively exploring whether allocating sites for future development would be appropriate within the National Park. We are undertaking a ‘Call for Sites’ to allow landowners, developers, parish councils and community groups to submit sites for consideration. The ‘Call for Sites’ will remain open until 30 November 2026.
We have begun preparing topic papers on tourism and recreation, housing settlement hierarchy and other areas relevant to the scope of the Local Plan.
We have commissioned a Housing Needs Assessment which is now complete. We are in the process of, or already have commissioned evidence around flood risk, gypsy and traveller site assessment, growth options and infrastructure assessment jointly with North Yorkshire Council.
We have also begun to consider our obligations with regard to the policies set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which states that Local Plans should not include policies that duplicate, substantively repeat, or are inconsistent with national planning policy.
We have started to draft a paper setting out the potential vision, baseline information, aims and ten potential measurable outcomes, in line with Government guidance. This will be used to help develop our Local Plan and will be published at a later date.
We began a Strategic Environmental Assessment
We’re legally required to identify, describe and evaluate likely significant effects on the environment of:
- - Implementing the local plan.
- - Reasonable alternatives, taking into account the plan’s objectives and scope.
To do this, we will undertake a full Strategic Environmental Assessment over the course of this Local Plan Review. This process will consider how community, national and international environmental protection objectives and any other environmental challenges are taken into account in the plan. It will help us to predict significant environmental effects and develop ways of preventing, reducing and offsetting these.
It is important we start this work early and are transparent about how we’re doing the assessment when engaging stakeholders and communities. We have completed a Scoping Report, which sets out the objectives of the Sustainability Appraisal, and how we will use it to inform our next Local Plan.
The Scoping Report also outlines the baseline position (Appendix C), describing the current issues affecting the National Park. It then sets out the appraisal framework against which different policy options and site allocations will be assessed.
This will be published alongside this Gateway Assessment.
View our scoping report here
View the ‘non-technical summary’ of our scoping report here
How to stay up to date
If you want to be added to our mailing list and receive updates on the progress of the Plan, please let us know by emailing policy@northyorkmoors.org.uk
Follow us on social media to see our progress in preparing the Local Plan:
Last updated: 31 Oct 2026