LDF and Local Plan

Archived Content. 

This page is for information only. The Council adopted the Copeland Local Plan 2013-2028 Core Strategy and Development Management Policies on 5 December 2013.  Visit the Copeland Local Plan 2013-2028 webpage to view the Plan.

Retail and Leisure Study Update 2021

Copeland has a succesful tradition of self build developments in the borough.

The Site Allocations and Policies Plan will demonstrate how the adopted Core Strategy, and crucially the policies which outline the borough’s ambitious targets for growth and development, will be delivered on the ground, as well as identifying areas to be protected from development.  Together with the adopted Core Strategy and Development Management Policies it will provide the basis for determining planning applications.

The Local Plan should allocate enough land to meet the borough’s predicted needs over the plan period (2013-2028) which is identified in the adopted Core Strategy.  The Site Allocations and Policies Plan will achieve this with a suite of site specific policies followed by the proposed options for land allocations.  Once adopted, they will replace the remaining allocations that have been saved from the Copeland Local Plan 2001-2016.

Map of St.Bees highlighting the proposed Site Allocations. 

For more information on the Site Allocations and Policies Plan, please click here

To give feedback, please click here

A significant proportion of the urban areas within Copeland are situated in close proximity to the coast and the large rivers of the Borough, and these areas are consequently at risk of coastal and fluvial flooding. However, these are not the only flood risks. There are many locations that are threatened by flooding from the numerous small watercourses that are features of the upland and rural nature of Copeland, and from overloaded drainage and sewage systems.

The Copeland Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) has been carried out to meet the following key objectives:

• to collate all known sources of flooding to identify areas that have a ‘low’, ‘medium’ and ‘high’ probability of flooding;
• to recommend appropriate land uses within flood affected areas;
• to recommend possible flood mitigation solutions.  

The Local Development Framework contains a portfolio of Local Development Documents (LDDs). Local Development Documents are generally Development Plan Documents (DPDs) or Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs). 

Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) cover a range of issues and provide further explanation or detail as to how a policy in a Development Plan Document (DPD)should be implemented. SPDs are consulted on in draft form but are not subject to independent examination.

SPDs will be a material consideration in making decisions on planning applications and will therefore carry significant weight in decision-making.

Map of Thornhill highlighting the proposed Site Allocations. 

For more information on the Site Allocations and Policies Plan, please click here

To give feedback, please click here

The Village Services Survey assesses the level of service prevision in all the settlements outside the 4 Main Towns in Copeland

The West Cumbria Economic Blueprint sets out Britain’s Energy Coast’s vision for the development of the local economy in West Cumbria over the next 15 years. Launched in June 2012, the Blueprint articulates the collective aims of local public and private sector partners to build on the area’s unique nuclear expertise and global position to develop a dynamic, wealth creating, sustainable economic future for today, tomorrow and future generations.

In April 2008, Copeland Borough Council, Allerdale Borough Council and Cumbria County Council commissioned WYG Planning and Design to undertake an assessment of the current and future retail role of the main centres within the West Cumbria Sub-Region.  The study includes an in-depth analysis of the retail provision within the main centres of the West Cumbria Sub-Region, including an assessment of the extent to which the centres are meeting the retail needs of the local population and the role of the local shopping network and the Sub-Regional shopping hierarchy.  The West Cumbria Retail Study was published in April 2009.

The West Cumbria Retail Assessment Addendum was published in January 2012.

Work has started on the preparation of a new Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the area of coastal fringe between the Candlestick Chimney in the north and Birkhams Quarry to the south. The SPD will encompass the former chemicals works on the “Marchon / Rhodia” site, Haig Mining Museum and part of the St Bees SSSI along the coastal strip. The Cumbrian Coastal Path runs approximately north / south through the area, linking Whitehaven Harbour to the North West’s only section of Heritage Coast at St Bees Head.      

West Whitehaven has a complex and extensive history of mining, quarrying and industrial activity which has left a legacy of ground contamination, mine shafts and scars in the landscape, as well as a number of buildings and structures of historical and archaeological interest. The area also supports a variety of interesting and nationally significant wildlife.

The SPD will set out planning guidelines for West Whitehaven’s future protection and enhancement, and will identify possible areas where carefully designed, small scale development which meets local needs, may be acceptable.