The Government has set a staged commencement for planning and land powers in England through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (Commencement No. 9) and Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 (Commencement No. 1 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2025. The Regulations were made at 2.20pm on 18 December 2025. Three dates now govern implementation: 19 December 2025 for enabling powers and the start of Environmental Delivery Plan preparation; 18 February 2026 for the main compulsory purchase, National Policy Statement and development corporation changes; and 1 April 2026 for Natural England’s annual reporting duty.
Compulsory purchase procedure changes are central to the package. From 18 February 2026, sections 183 and 184 of the 2023 Act take effect, alongside related provisions in Schedules 18 and 19, for orders made or confirmed by authorities other than the Welsh Ministers. The amendments to the Acquisition of Land Act 1981 allow a confirming authority to authorise a compulsory purchase order subject to conditions, with powers exercisable only once those conditions are met. The terms “acquiring authority”, “compulsory purchase order” and “confirming authority” follow the definitions in section 7(1) of the Acquisition of Land Act 1981, as applied by the Regulations.
Transitional protection is explicit for schemes already in train. Where the first newspaper notice of making, or the first notice that an order has been prepared in draft, was published before 18 February 2026, the new conditional confirmation provisions do not apply. In practice, acquiring authorities should verify the first publication date for each order to determine whether the pre‑commencement or post‑commencement regime governs their case.
Newspaper notice requirements are also updated. Section 106 of the 2025 Act, which simplifies the description‑of‑land information required in compulsory purchase notices, is commenced for regulation‑making purposes on 19 December 2025 and becomes operative on 18 February 2026 for orders within scope. Authorities should refresh templates and publisher instructions for notices scheduled after that date.
Earlier vesting via the general vesting declaration route is introduced on two fronts. Section 108 enables an expedited procedure where land is unoccupied or interests cannot be identified, while section 109 allows vesting to be brought forward by agreement. The powers to make any supporting regulations started on 19 December 2025; the provisions themselves apply in England from 18 February 2026. A transitional safeguard provides that the section 108 changes do not apply where compulsory acquisitions were authorised before commencement.
Compensation provisions are aligned for certain parish and community council acquisitions. Sections 113(3) and (4) of the 2025 Act allow an acquiring authority using section 125 of the Local Government Act 1972 to direct that compensation is assessed under section 14A of the Land Compensation Act 1961, requiring specified “hope value” for planning prospects to be ignored. The regulation‑making power started on 19 December 2025, with the provision itself applying in England from 18 February 2026.
Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) move into preparation. From 19 December 2025, sections 59 to 63 and 64(1) of the 2025 Act enable Natural England to begin an EDP, define its scope and required contents, and require notification to, and publication for, the Secretary of State when an EDP is initiated. Section 82 sets out functions for administering, implementing and monitoring EDPs, and section 94 introduces general duties when exercising EDP‑related functions.
A new duty of co‑operation applies across the public sector from 19 December 2025. Under section 95, public authorities must give Natural England reasonable assistance in preparing or implementing an EDP. The legislative framework for charging is also switched on: section 62 provides for EDP charging schedules and section 97 enables statutory instruments for a nature restoration levy. These are enabling powers; any levy would require further regulations before charges could be collected.
For nationally significant infrastructure, governance and scrutiny tighten from 18 February 2026. Section 1 of the 2025 Act mandates a full review and update of each National Policy Statement at least every five years. Section 2 creates an additional parliamentary process for material amendments, and section 13 reforms legal challenge routes for decisions under the Planning Act 2008. Sponsors should map consent strategies against the new review cycles once departmental timetables are issued.
Development corporation legislation is rationalised on the same February date. Section 100 amends the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, the New Towns Act 1981 and the Localism Act 2011 to provide greater clarity and flexibility of remit. Section 101 resolves overlaps between different corporation types in favour of the higher‑tier body. Sections 102 and 103 standardise duties on sustainable development, climate change and good design, and align the categories of infrastructure that any corporation type may provide.
The Regulations also commence remaining Part 3 provisions of the 2025 Act on 18 February 2026, except Part 1 of Schedule 5, which is expressly excluded. Separately, section 91 takes effect on 1 April 2026, requiring Natural England to publish an annual report for each financial year on the exercise of its Part 3 functions, creating a clear accountability cycle for EDP activity.
Stakeholder impacts are immediate. Acquiring authorities should review order pipelines against notice publication dates, prepare to use conditional confirmation from 18 February, and consider whether expedited or agreed vesting could reduce programme risk. Developers, particularly those pursuing development consent orders, should align project timetables with National Policy Statement review cycles and the revised challenge framework. Landowners should note the potential for earlier vesting where land is unoccupied or interests are uncertain, and the targeted compensation change for parish and community council acquisitions. Public authorities should ready data and governance arrangements to meet the section 95 co‑operation duty as Natural England begins EDP preparation from 19 December 2025.