Residents and businesses in Stone, and across Stafford Borough, are being invited to have their say on the issues that should shape the area over the next 20 years.
Stafford Borough Council is preparing a new Local Plan for 2025 to 2045, which will guide where future development can take place and how the borough’s built and natural environment should be protected.
The plan will cover the whole Stafford Borough area, including Stone, and will look at themes including housing, employment, climate change, transport, flooding, wildlife, heritage and the countryside.
An initial consultation is expected to open on Monday 8 June 2026 and run until 12 noon on Tuesday 28 July 2026.
The council says this early stage will give residents, businesses and community groups the chance to raise the issues they believe need to be considered before the plan is developed further.
The consultation follows the council’s decision in March 2025 to stop work on the previous 2020 to 2040 Local Plan and begin a new process for a 2025 to 2045 plan, after changes to national planning policy and housing targets.
Councillor Ant Reid, Stafford Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Planning, said
“The Local Plan is the key way we give our residents choice about development and preservation. Getting this done faster is vital and very welcome. The whole borough benefits from this.”
Having a Local Plan in place helps councils manage development, including where homes, employment sites and infrastructure may be built, and where development should be restricted or avoided.
The council says people will be able to highlight concerns such as flooding, traffic, the loss of wildlife, pressure on services, and the need to protect the borough’s natural and built heritage.
Councillor Reid said
“I want our residents to think about where the next generation will live, learn, work and spend leisure time, while ensuring our plans preserve our natural and built heritage. The work we are doing could shape our borough for the next 20 years and beyond. I want people to love where they live.”
The government has introduced reforms aimed at speeding up the Local Plan process, with councils expected to prepare and adopt plans within 30 months.
Stafford Borough Council has received around £110,000 from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to support technical studies, extra resources and engagement work.
Councillor Reid added
“A robust Local Plan helps regulate where things can, and cannot, be built across our borough, can prevent inappropriate development, and help protect the environment, countryside and habitats.
“We must find the right balance that ensures we have strong economic growth while maintaining what our communities value most. From here on everything depends on residents, businesses and other groups, I’d ask everyone to take these consultations seriously and help us choose what goes where, when, and how.”
Further information is available on Stafford Borough Council’s New Local Plan 2025 to 2045 page. People can also contact the council by emailing Strategicplanningconsultations@staffordbc.gov.uk.
Documents will also be available to view at libraries and at the Civic Centre, Riverside, Stafford.
