Eastbourne’s new Local Plan is expected to return for a further round of public consultation in autumn 2026, before the council submits it for independent examination.
The earlier Regulation 18 consultation closed on 10 April. The council is now due to consider the responses and refine the plan into the version it intends to submit to the Secretary of State.
Why the Local Plan matters
The document will guide development in the borough outside the South Downs National Park up to 2042. It covers where new homes, jobs and infrastructure should go, alongside policies on design, transport, the environment and flood risk.
The Regulation 18 draft said the Government’s figure for Eastbourne was 714 homes a year, while the plan identified sites capable of delivering an average of 301 homes a year because of the town’s physical and environmental constraints. It said 82% of the homes would be expected on previously developed land.
The next published steps
- A final, submission-version plan is prepared after considering the first consultation.
- A further public consultation is expected in autumn 2026.
- The council’s published timetable anticipates submission for independent examination in December 2026.
- A planning inspector would then examine the plan before it can be adopted.
These are published expected dates rather than guarantees. Eastbourne.info will link to the next consultation as soon as it opens.
Sources: Eastbourne Draft Local Plan portal and Eastbourne Local Development Scheme 2025–2028. Checked 19 August 2026.