Ministers have approved a targeted update to compulsory purchase paperwork in England. The Compulsory Purchase of Land (Vesting Declarations) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/19) were made on 8 January 2026, laid before Parliament on 12 January 2026, and come into force on 18 February 2026.
The instrument replaces Forms 1 and 2 in the Schedule to the Compulsory Purchase of Land (Vesting Declarations) (England) Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/3, as amended by S.I. 2024/477). The revised versions are set out in Parts 1 and 2 of the Schedule to the 2026 Regulations and will govern the prescribed wording and format for General Vesting Declarations and associated notices issued in England.
The change is procedural. The instrument does not state any alteration to statutory timeframes or to compensation rights under the Compulsory Purchase (Vesting Declarations) Act 1981; it updates the prescribed templates that acquiring authorities must use when giving notice.
Acquiring authorities, including local authorities, combined authorities and other public bodies, are expected to update internal templates, document management systems and contractor briefings ahead of 18 February 2026. Case teams planning to execute a GVD on or after that date should ensure the new forms are used and correctly executed.
For affected landowners and occupiers, the practical effect will be updated notice wording. The statutory deadlines printed on the notice, including the vesting date and any periods for subsequent procedural steps, continue to derive from the 1981 Act and related regulations.
Although these Regulations extend to England and Wales as a matter of legal extent, they amend the 2017 England Regulations. The function to prescribe forms for Wales under section 2(1) of the 1981 Act previously transferred to the National Assembly for Wales and then to the Welsh Ministers, so separate provision applies in Wales.
The enabling powers cited are sections 2(1), 4(1) and 6(1) of the 1981 Act. Those provisions have been amended by section 184 and Schedule 15 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 and by section 108 of the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025, which is reflected in the footnotes to the instrument.
The Regulations are signed by Matthew Pennycook, Minister of State, by authority of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Explanatory Note states that no impact assessment has been produced because no impact on the private or voluntary sectors is foreseen.
Policy and delivery teams should brief external advisers and update guidance so that the new Form 1 and Form 2 are applied to any GVDs executed on or after 18 February 2026. The instrument does not address transitional arrangements for notices scheduled close to commencement, so legal review of timing-sensitive cases remains advisable.