New Plan-Making System: What We Know So Far

Local authorities are required to start plan-making by the relevant date set out in regulations, including the 'backstop' dates. In terms of the start date of the local plan, local authorities have  discretion to determine this.  However, as set out in the draft National Planning Policy Framework recently consulted on, it is intended that the plan period should cover a period of no less than 15 years from the point of adoption of the plan. 

Through the new plan making system government are aiming to reduce the complexity and scale of the evidence required to support a local plan. The new approach will ensure evidence is proportionate, relevant, and prepared at the right time - supporting faster and more focused plan-making.

Guidance on Create and Update a Local Plan will set out what types of evidence are required, which will help authorities focus on only the studies and level of detail that is really needed to support the plan. Plan makers should only prepare new evidence where it is necessary to support the plan.

Whilst being streamlined, the evidence base will remain an important part of plan making and will remain proportionate to the needs of the local area. 

There will be no partial review of local plans in the new system. In the new system local plans are expected to be prepared and adopted within 30 months, and commencement of the new plan is required to be within 5 years after the adoption of the existing plan. Commencement refers to when the local authority publishes its Gateway 1 self-assessment. 

The draft NPPF sets out that evidence should be relevant, proportionate and sufficiently up to date. There is no requirement for evidence related to development needing to be kept under review during plan-making once it has been established, unless there are strong reasons to do so. New guidance on the role and preparation of evidence in plan-making will be published on CULP to support new national planning policy.

Local authorities are expected to work towards the adoption of an up-to-date local plan as soon as possible. The December 2024 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) set out transitional arrangements for plans which sought to maintain the progress of plans at a more advanced stage of preparation, whilst maximising proactive planning for the homes our communities need. For plans that were submitted on or before 12 March 2025, if the housing requirement in the plan to be adopted was meeting less than 80% of local housing need it was made clear that the local planning authority would be required to work on a  new plan, under the revised plan-making system as soon as the relevant provisions were brought into force. MHCLG and the Planning Advisory Service are keen to work with local authorities to address the challenges posed by Local Government Reorganisation.   

Local authorities are expected to adopt a plan within 30 months of publishing their Gateway 1 self-assessment. The Government is developing a varied package of support to help local planning authorities prepare for and deliver a plan in 30 months. This includes a suite of new guidance, tools and templates.

However, the Secretary of State retains powers to intervene where necessary to get a plan in place. The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA) consolidates and updates the Secretary of State’s powers to intervene in a plan where the Secretary of State thinks that the local authority is failing to do anything it is necessary or expedient for them to do in connection with the preparation, adoption or revision of a local plan.
Under the LURA The Secretary of State also has the ability to appoint independent Local Plan Commissioners who will act on their behalf, to investigate, analyse and report on failings that prevent a local authority from progressing  its local plan. Depending on those circumstances, further interventions may also take place. 

Gateways 2 and 3 have different purposes. The Planning Inspectorate will appoint ‘gateway assessors’ for the purposes of assessing a local authority’s plan progress at Gateways 2 and 3. At Gateway 2, the local authority will inform the matters that the assessor should direct their attention to.  At Gateway 3, the assessor will review the local authority’s local plan against the prescribed requirements set out in regulations. 

Further details on the gateway assessments will be made available on Create or Update a Local Plan (CULP) shortly. The Planning Inspectorate will also be updating its procedural guidance to reflect the new plan-making system.

Under the new plan-making system, government intends local plans to be more consistent across the country. All local plans will have standard components or features, whilst allowing for flexibility to reflect local distinctiveness. MHCLG have been working on a ‘model plan’ template and guidance to support local authorities in preparing their plan, how they should meet data standards and how to make a digital version of their local plan. Regulations set out the requirements for what local authorities are required to prepare and submit to the Planning Inspectorate when submitting their plans for examination. These documents should be started at the earliest opportunity and kept under review to the point of submission. MHCLG will be publishing guidance on the documents that local authorities are required to prepare and at what stages of the plan-making process. Likewise, the PINS procedural guidance for local plans (currently being updated) will set out clear expectations and further guidance about what should be submitted and how outputs should be prepared during the Main Modifications stage.