THE Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Local Plan contains policies that are used to determine all planning applications. The plan was adopted in 2002 and will guide development in the borough until 2011.

You can view the local plan from the link at the bottom of this page and then by clicking on START on the blue cover.

A hardcopy version is also available at a price of £40.00. If you would like to purchase a copy please phone 0151 356 6685 or email Debbie Dempsey.

For further information on the Local Plan please ring 0151 356 6566 or email devplan@epnbc.gov.uk

In September 2007 the Secretary of State assessed whether the saved policies in the Local Plan should be extended for a further period. It was decided that all Local Plan policies except H8 School Site should be saved. To read the Secretary of State's Direction and the associated letter from the Government Office for the North West, click the link below:

• Secretary of State's Direction & GONW Letter - saving of local plan policies

Here are some tips to help you find your way around the plan:

The screen that appears first is split in two with a key on the left-hand side and the written statement on the right.

The written statement contains all the policies covering topics such as housing, green belt, employment and transport.

The proposals map can also be viewed. This covers the whole district and shows which areas the policies apply to. To open this map click on LOCATOR MAP at the top of the key on the left-hand side.

To zoom into the map click on the area of the borough that you are interested in. There are three different areas, marked on the map as Inset 1, Inset 2 and Inset 3.

Inset 1 covers Ellesmere Port, Great Sutton, Little Sutton, Whitby, Westminster, Stanney, Ince, Childer Thornton, Hooton and all other parts of Ellesmere Port.

Inset 2 covers Neston, Willaston, Parkgate, Burton, Little Neston, Ness and the area around these villages.

Inset 3 covers Neston town centre.

When you zoom in to enlarge each of these areas, a more detailed map will appear, which is made up of tiles. By clicking on one of the tiles you will be able to see a specific area close up and determine which planning policies apply to that area. You can click on many of the policy numbers on the map to see the full policy in the written statement. You can also move from tile to tile by using the arrows at the edge of the map.

When you're ready to return to the council's main website close the local plan window by clicking on the X in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.

Click on the image below to see the adopted local plan