Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook has confirmed further details of England’s reformed local plan-making system, which will come into force in early 2026. The reforms, legislated through the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, are intended to secure universal coverage of up‑to‑date plans to support the government’s pledge to deliver 1.5 million homes this Parliament, and will be rolled out nationally rather than in waves.
Under the new approach, each local plan is expected to be prepared and adopted within 30 months. The timetable starts when an authority publishes its Gateway 1 self‑assessment, which must follow a publicly issued ‘notice to commence’ given at least four months in advance. Authorities are expected to publish and maintain a plan timetable to provide visibility for stakeholders throughout the process.
Three gateways introduce formal checkpoints. Gateway 1 is a self‑assessment confirming readiness to begin the 30‑month process. Gateway 2 requires the Planning Inspectorate to provide observations and advice-typically within six weeks-on the emerging plan and evidence. Gateway 3 tests whether the plan meets prescribed requirements and is ready to proceed to examination, with a four‑to‑six‑week window. Observations and advice from Gateways 2 and 3 must be published.
From Gateway 2 onwards, the Planning Inspectorate engages directly in plan preparation through gateway assessments and then conducts the independent examination. Examinations assess legal compliance and soundness against national policy, with hearings held in person, virtually or in blended formats as appropriate.
Transition arrangements mean the legacy and new systems will run in parallel through 2026. Plans progressing under the legacy framework have until 31 December 2026 to be submitted for examination, and authorities cannot switch mid‑process between systems; a plan must follow the legal framework under which it started.
Backstop dates are set to ensure momentum. Authorities covered by the 2024 NPPF transitional arrangements must publish a notice to commence by 30 June 2026 and reach Gateway 1 by 31 October 2026. Those not submitting under the legacy system must give notice by 31 December 2026 (or when their adopted plan is 4 years and 8 months old, whichever is later) and publish Gateway 1 by 30 April 2027 (or by the plan’s fifth anniversary, whichever is later).
The statutory Duty to Cooperate will not apply in the reformed system. To accelerate adoption of legacy plans, the government has also decided not to ‘save’ the Duty for plans examined under the existing framework. Inspectors will continue to examine plans in line with national policy on maintaining effective cooperation, and ministers have written to the Planning Inspectorate to confirm this position.
Guidance for the early stages of the new system is now available on the government’s ‘Create or Update a Local Plan’ resource, including material on giving notice, project governance, Gateway 1 requirements, vision‑setting, site identification and managing representations. The collection also signposts the planned consultation on a revised National Planning Policy Framework to support the new system.
Funding and support have been signalled alongside the reforms. At least £14 million will be available in 2025–26 to support plan‑making, with further details to follow. The Planning Advisory Service will provide practical tools and templates to complement central guidance.
Process changes at the Inspectorate are designed to improve readiness and throughput. A new pre‑examination checklist has applied since 6 October 2025 and the 10th edition of the Procedure Guide has been issued. The Planning Inspectorate’s 2025/26 business plan anticipates a sharp increase in local plan examinations to December 2026, scaling inspector capacity and investing in new digital services for local plan examinations.
Plan‑makers should note the statutory consultation points embedded in the timetable. After Gateway 2, authorities must run a minimum eight‑week consultation on the proposed plan, evidence and policies map before finalising the submission version. Examinations fall within months 24–29, with provision for a pause of up to six months if additional work or consultation on modifications is required.
For local planning authorities, the immediate tasks are operational. Publish an up‑to‑date local plan timetable, issue a notice to commence at least four months before Gateway 1, and use the readiness checker to confirm governance, resources and evidence are in place. Begin site work early, including a call for sites, so that draft allocations can be tested through Gateway 2 and the statutory consultation.