Local planning authorities must publish information at least annually that shows progress with Local Plan preparation, reports any activity relating to the duty to cooperate and shows how the implementation of policies in the Local Plan is progressing.

Authorities are encouraged to report on planning matters as frequently as possible. This is because it enables communities and interested parties to be aware of progress.

Local planning authorities can also use the Authority Monitoring Report (AMR) to provide an update on neighbourhood plans and determine whether there is a need to undertake a partial or full review of the Local Plan.

Each year, the National Planning Policy Framework requires local planning authorities to identify and update a supply of specific deliverable sites, sufficient to providing five years’ worth of housing.

Once published, such assessments should normally not need to be updated for a full 12 months unless significant new evidence comes to light, or the local authority wishes to update its assessment earlier.