Birmingham Focused Preferred Options
Consultation update
The Focused Preferred Options document consultation is now closed.
The consultation ran from 23 October to 19 December 2025.
Next steps
The next stage of the local plan process is to prepare the publication plan, which is the final version of the plan.
We will share more detail about this stage soon.
About Birmingham Focused Preferred Options
We are working on a new Local Plan for Birmingham, which will:
- decide how the city will develop
- provide policies to guide decisions on development proposals and planning applications up to 2044
We carried out a Preferred Options Consultation in summer 2024; however, due to the publication of a new National Planning Policy Framework in December 2024, we need to revise the Birmingham Local Plan.
We are now carrying out an additional Focused Preferred Options Consultation because the required changes are too significant to introduce at the Regulation 19 (publication) stage of plan-making.
About the focused preferred options document
This is a consultation document prepared under Regulation 18 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012.
It updates the council’s preferred options document for:
- development strategy
- draft policies
- site allocations
It takes into account evidence gathered to date and the views we gained from the consultation carried out in summer 2024.
The discussion paper gives you an opportunity to:
- comment on the significant changes to the Birmingham Local Plan since the Preferred Options Consultation
- further shape the publication plan
Previous consultation
Consultation took place in:
- October 2022 – on an issues and options document
- summer 2024 – on the preferred options document
You can access and download previous consultation documents, consultation statements, a summary of the representations we received, and our responses using the links below:
View the issues and options consultation document
Download the issues and options consultation statement
Download the issues and options, representations and responses
View the preferred options consultation document
Download the preferred options consultation statement
Download the preferred options representations and responses
How can you keep updated
If you want to find out more about the Birmingham Local Plan, register on our Planning Consultation portal
If you would like to be kept informed about upcoming consultations on the Birmingham Local Plan and other planning documents, register to join our mailing list.
If you have any other queries about the Birmingham Local Plan, email planningstrategy@birmingham.gov.uk
Submit a call for site suggestions
We also have an online call for site form, which you can use to make us aware of any further potential development sites. Visit Call for Sites to submit suggestions for potential development sites.
Evidence base
To support the Local Plan, we will continue to update the evidence base. This includes:
- Housing Economic Land Availability Assessment
- 5 year Land Supply
- Growth Zone Background Paper
- Sustainability Appraisal
- Green Belt Assessment
Page last updated: 12 January 2026
