The new plan-making system
The new plan-making system is a reformed framework launched by the UK government in November 2025, designed to accelerate, simplify, and digitalise the creation of local plans across England. It is underpinned by the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 as a system aiming to address the slow pace of current planning by introducing a mandatory 30-month timeline for the preparation and adoption of local plans, as well as abolishing the phrase the "duty to cooperate". In terms of its implementation there will be a dual-running period to allow the legacy system to be used for plans submitted by December 31, 2026, while the new system is adopted.
On 6 March, 2026 the government published its Guidance on the rollout of the new local plan-making system, and New plan-making system: regulations and content roadmap as well as the blog piece New draft guidance published to support faster and clearer local plan-making published on 8 March, 2026. A package of regulations to was laid before Parliament in early March, 2026, the first being the new Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026 with a commencement date of 25 March, replacing the existing 2012 plan-making regulations. Below is. a list of all those regulations moving forwards:
- The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026
- The Requirement to Assist with certain plan making (Prescribed Public Bodies) (England) Regulations 2026
- The Town and Country Planning (Costs of Independent Examinations for Local Planning Etc.) (Standard Daily Amount) (England) Regulations 2026
- The Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023 (Commencement No. 11 and Saving and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2026
- The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (Local Planning) (Modification and consequential amendments) (England) Regulations 2026
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