Local Development Scheme - 2. Existing Planning Framework in Walsall Borough

The existing local development plan structure for the borough is set out in Figure 1:

The BCCS was jointly prepared by Walsall, Dudley, Sandwell and the City of Wolverhampton Councils – the four Black Country authorities (BCAs). The BCCS was adopted on 3 February 2011. This is the overarching DPD for the Black Country. It seeks to apply a regeneration spatial strategy across the sub-region (within the BCAs’ boundaries) to promote sustainable development. The BCCS sets out the core objectives, spatial strategy, core policies, and how they will be implemented and monitored. The BCCS replaced a large portion of the Walsall UDP policies, whilst others were subsequently replaced by the Walsall Site Allocation Document (SAD).

Within the framework of the BCCS, the Site Allocation Document (SAD) allocates sites for homes, jobs, shops, and other uses; protects land to meet the current and future needs of Walsall; protects important assets and seeks to improve the environment. The SAD implements and realises the strategic objectives, policies and proposals of the BCCS at a local plan level, covering the borough of Walsall. The SAD was adopted on 7 January 2019. The SAD is accompanied by the Policies Map which shows how the policies in the SAD relate to specific sites. The Policies Map replaced the proposals map that accompanied the Walsall Unitary Development Plan (UDP) with the exception of the district centre insets.

Also within the framework of the BCCS, the AAP allocates sites and opportunities within Walsall Strategic Centre, as well as setting out policies and proposals for other aspects of the town centre, including transportation and the environment. The plan contains a strategy for the regeneration of the town centre that helps to promote sites for development and identifies council priorities. The AAP was adopted on 7 January 2019.

The UDP was originally adopted on 7 March 2005. A number of the policies within it have been superseded by related policies set out within the BCCS in 2011, SAD and AAP in 2019. when those plans were adopted. The remaining policies, including those which are applicable to the regeneration of the borough’s district centres, remain extant as saved policies.

To articulate and provide guidance on DPD policies, Walsall Council has a number of SPDs to provide further detail on a wide range of core topics, such 6 as open space, design, shop fronts etc. They are material considerations when determining planning applications. These SPDs are set out below:

• Affordable Housing SPD – adopted July 2005 (review adopted April 2008) 
• Open Space, Sport and Recreation SPD – adopted April 2006 
• Designing Walsall Design Guide SPD – adopted February (revision July 2013) 
• Shop Front SPD – adopted April 2015 
• Black Country Air Quality SPD – Adopted February 2017 
• Planning Obligations SPD – Adopted December 2025 
• Natural Environment SPD – adopted June 2026

The Statement of Community Involvement is a local development document that explains how the council will engage with the public and stakeholders in the preparation of plans and in the decision-making processes.

The Authority Monitoring Report annually monitors the progress and effectiveness of the existing local plan policies against their indicators. A RAG rating is given to assess the effectiveness of individual policies.

The LDS (this document) sets out the existing development plan documents and the timetable for producing development plan documents over the period of the document.