Following the approval by an Examiner and a successful referendum Arun District Council have made the Littlehampton neighbourhood plan part of their Local Development Framework on 5 November 2014.
In a referendum held on 15 October 2014 there was a 85.9% vote in favour of adopting the Littlehampton neighbourhood plan. The voter turnout had been 16.1%.
In the Examiner's report published on 14 February 2014, the Examiner recommended that as long as modifications were made the plan should proceed to a referendum. The Examiner had been appointed in January 2014 follwing a consultation held by Arun District Council between 5 December 2013 and 16 January 2014 on the Littlehampton submission draft neighbourhood plan.
Littlehampton Town Council had published its pre-submission plan for a consultation that began on 5 June 2013 and ended on 17 July 2013. The application from Littlehampton Town Council to be the designated body to produce the neighbourhood development plan was approved by Arun District Council on 10 December 2012. The application was submitted on 27 July 2012.