How Local Plans are made
A Local Plan decides how many homes an area plans for, where they go and the policies used to decide planning applications. Here is every stage, what it is for, and what it means for housing land.
What a Local Plan does
Every local planning authority in England is expected to have an up-to-date Local Plan. It sets the vision for the area, the number of homes and jobs to plan for, the sites where development should happen, and the policies used to decide planning applications. With any neighbourhood plans and, in future, a spatial development strategy, it forms the statutory development plan.
For housing, three things in a Local Plan matter most: the housing requirement (how many homes), the spatial strategy (broadly where), and the site allocations (exactly which land). Since August 2026, plans should also focus on local matters: they must not repeat the 79 national decision-making policies in the new National Planning Policy Framework.
Two systems running side by side
The Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 created a new way of making plans. Its regulations came into force on 25 March 2026. Plans that were already well advanced can finish under the old (legacy) rules, but only if they are submitted for examination by 31 December 2026. That is why our tracker records which system each authority is using.
New system
30 months, three gateways
Timetable → getting ready (4+ months) → Gateway 1 → evidence and sites → Gateway 2 → proposed plan → Gateway 3 → examination → adoption within 30 months of Gateway 1.
Legacy system
Regulations 18 and 19
Regulation 18 consultation(s) → Regulation 19 publication → submission (by 31 Dec 2026) → examination → main modifications → adoption.
The new 30-month process, stage by stage
Gateways are marked in mint. For each stage we set out its purpose, what gets published, what it means for housing land, and what landowners, promoters and residents can do.
Local plan timetable and notice of intention
The council publishes a local plan timetable (replacing the old Local Development Scheme) and gives formal notice that it is starting a new plan.
- Purpose
- Tells everyone that plan-making has begun and when each stage is expected.
- Published
- The timetable, as structured data (typically a CSV) sent to the government's Planning Data platform. Councils must check it every month and update it when a stage happens or slips.
- Housing & sites
- Landowners and promoters should note the dates: the call for sites usually follows soon after.
- What to do
- Follow the authority on our tracker; register on the council's consultation database.
Getting ready and scoping
Before Gateway 1 the council must spend at least four months getting ready: scoping what the plan will cover, consulting on that scope, and setting up governance, engagement and environmental assessment.
- Purpose
- Agree the plan's scope and make sure the council can deliver it in 30 months.
- Published
- Scoping consultation; early evidence plans; often a call for sites.
- Housing & sites
- The housing requirement and the broad spatial strategy start to take shape. Where a spatial development strategy covers the area, the requirement is set there.
- What to do
- Respond to the scoping consultation; submit land to any call for sites.
Gateway 1: self-assessment
The council publishes a self-assessment summary confirming it has done the getting-ready work. Publication starts the 30-month period within which the plan should be adopted.
- Purpose
- A readiness check, carried out by the council itself.
- Published
- Gateway 1 self-assessment summary.
- Deadlines
- The first group of authorities (generally those with housing requirements well below current need) had to give notice by 30 June 2026 and must publish Gateway 1 by 31 October 2026. A second group follows by 30 April 2027.
- What to do
- Expect evidence gathering and site assessment to accelerate.
Plan preparation: vision, evidence and sites
The council builds the evidence base and consults on what the plan should contain. This is where sites are found, assessed and compared.
- Purpose
- Turn the housing requirement into a spatial strategy and a shortlist of sites.
- Evidence
- Housing need, land availability assessment (SHLAA/HELAA), flood risk, transport, infrastructure, viability, Green Belt, environmental assessment.
- Housing & sites
- The most important stage for land: sites are assessed as suitable, available and achievable, and reasonable alternatives are tested. How site allocation works →
- What to do
- Make sure your site is in the land availability assessment with up-to-date ownership, access and delivery evidence.
Gateway 2: independent advice
An assessor appointed by the Planning Inspectorate reviews the emerging plan and evidence and gives observations and advice before the council finalises its proposed plan.
- Purpose
- Catch soundness problems early, rather than at examination.
- Published
- The assessor's observations and advice.
- Housing & sites
- Weak housing land supply or poorly evidenced allocations are the kind of issue raised here.
Proposed plan consultation
The council consults on its proposed Local Plan: the full set of policies, site allocations and the policies map it intends to submit.
- Purpose
- The formal opportunity to support or object, with reasons, before examination.
- Published
- Proposed plan, policies map, sustainability/environmental report and supporting evidence.
- Housing & sites
- Proposed allocations appear with capacities and policy requirements. Omitted sites can still be promoted through representations.
- What to do
- Make representations that address the tests of soundness, with evidence.
Gateway 3: ready for examination?
The Planning Inspectorate's assessor decides whether the plan meets the legal requirements and is ready to be examined. Unlike Gateways 1 and 2, this gateway can be repeated if the plan is not ready.
- Purpose
- Stop plans going to examination before they are ready.
- Published
- Gateway 3 assessment and decision.
Submission and examination
An inspector examines the plan, usually through hearing sessions, and tests whether it is legally compliant and sound.
- Soundness
- Positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy; once a spatial development strategy is adopted, plans must also conform with it. Inspectors apply the tests proportionately.
- Housing & sites
- Inspectors scrutinise the housing trajectory and the deliverability of allocations. Sites can be deleted or added through main modifications.
- What to do
- Take part in hearings on matters you raised; agree statements of common ground for promoted sites.
Adoption
Once the inspector's report finds the plan sound (with any main modifications), the council adopts it and it becomes part of the statutory development plan.
- Purpose
- Planning applications are then decided in line with the plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.
- Published
- Adopted plan, policies map and adoption statement.
- Housing & sites
- Allocations gain full development plan status. The plan's housing requirement becomes the basis for five-year land supply for the next five years.
Monitoring, review and the next plan
Delivery is monitored every year. Under the August 2026 Framework a local plan should be reviewed within five years of adoption, and work on the next plan should begin by then.
- Purpose
- Keep plans current so they do not go out of date.
- Housing & sites
- Once a plan is more than five years old and has not been reviewed, five-year land supply is measured against local housing need from the standard method instead of the plan's own requirement, which is often higher.
- Our tracker
- Shows the adoption date, the review point and whether it has passed.
The legacy route (plans submitted by 31 December 2026)
Around a hundred authorities are expected to submit legacy plans before the deadline, so these stages will appear on the tracker throughout 2027.
Regulation 18: issues, options and draft plan
Early consultation on what the plan should contain. Many councils ran several Regulation 18 rounds, including issues and options and a preferred options or draft plan.
- Housing & sites
- Calls for sites, the land availability assessment and options for growth; draft allocations often first appear here.
Regulation 19: publication of the submission plan
The council publishes the plan it intends to submit, and invites representations on legal compliance and soundness.
- Housing & sites
- The final list of proposed allocations. Changes after this point normally need main modifications at examination.
Submission and examination
The plan, representations and evidence are submitted to the Secretary of State and an inspector is appointed. Hearings follow.
- Transition
- Plans must be submitted by 31 December 2026 to finish under the legacy system. Those that miss it restart under the new system.
Main modifications and inspector's report
Changes needed to make the plan sound are consulted on, then the inspector issues a final report.
- Housing & sites
- Allocations can be added, deleted or have their capacity changed here.
Adoption and review
The council adopts the plan. Legacy plans must still be reviewed at least every five years from adoption.
Key dates in the transition
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| 25 Mar 2026 | The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026 come into force. |
| 30 Jun 2026 | First group of authorities (housing requirement below 80% of current need, no spatial development strategy) give notice of intention to start a new plan. |
| 17 Aug 2026 | New National Planning Policy Framework published, with immediate effect for decisions. |
| 31 Oct 2026 | That first group must publish their Gateway 1 self-assessments. |
| 31 Dec 2026 | Last date to submit a plan under the legacy system. |
| 30 Apr 2027 | Gateway 1 deadline for authorities whose plans had passed four years and eight months old by 31 December 2026. |
When is the next plan due?
Our tracker calculates a review point for every adopted plan: five years from adoption. This is the date by which the plan should be reviewed and, under the new system, by which work on the next plan should have started. We show three kinds of date and label each one:
- Council-published: taken from the authority's local plan timetable.
- Statutory or national: a date fixed by regulations or national policy, such as the 31 December 2026 submission deadline.
- Estimated: our own projection, for example the 30-month adoption target counted from Gateway 1.
The review point matters for housing: once a plan is more than five years old and has not been reviewed, five-year land supply is measured against local housing need rather than the plan's own requirement.
Check the source
This guide summarises the 2026 regulations, government guidance and the August 2026 Framework. Procedures, transitional arrangements and deadlines can change; always check the council's own timetable and the current Planning Practice Guidance.