The Local Plan Route Mapper and Toolkit provide practical advice and tools to review, project plan, manage and update a local plan. When referring to a local plan update this relates to all local plan production whether a targeted update to a small number of local plan policies or the production of an entirely new local plan.
We’ve updated the PAS Local Plan Route Mapper and Toolkit (in May 2025) to support Local Plans being prepared in the current system and due for submission in December 2026. The changes include:
- updates - legislative, guidance and policy
- improved accessibility
- easier to navigate
- more concise.
As a result, you’ll find there is no reference to the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act (LURA) (2023) or other legislation / regulations which will form the legal requirements for plan-making in the ‘new’ plan making system. So, any local plans submitted for independent examination after December 2026 will need to follow the new requirements set out in the LURA (2023), secondary legislation and guidance, which will be issued by Government in due course
The aim is to provide you with resources which allow you to demonstrate your local plan review has been carried out in a robust and objective way. If updating your local plan, these resources offer guidance on how to adopt an efficient and effective approach to enable you to focus on developing a good quality plan. The advice is intended to assist local authority planners and has been shaped by best practice gathered from across the sector.