Local Plan Watch

The planning landscape continues to evolve at pace as national reforms reshape plan-making and decision-taking across the country.

Labour’s first National Planning Policy Framework is now over 18 months old and firmly embedded within the planning system, with its effects increasingly evident in emerging Local Plans, five-year housing land supply pressures and the scale of development now being planned at the local level.

Planning authorities are responding in different ways. Many are accelerating the preparation of Local Plans to address national targets and retain control of their spatial strategies. For many, the race is now on to finalise and submit draft Plans before the end of 2026, ahead of the switch to the new plan-making framework introduced through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act. This is likely to create a significant logjam of Plans requiring independent examination in 2027, as Jamie Sullivan explores in his latest blog.

Elsewhere, an increasing number of authorities are beginning work on new-style plans prepared under the LURA framework, including its statutory 30-month timeframe for preparation and adoption. Others are seeking to reconcile local political priorities with national planning policy, a tension that in many cases continues to slow progress.

The result is a complex and fast-moving picture, but Local Plan Watch is designed to help you navigate the changing landscape. Our interactive map provides up-to-date intelligence on the position of every Local Planning Authority across our region, highlighting where plans are progressing, where pressure is building to boost housing supply, and where future allocations may emerge. Alongside this, our expanding library of expert insights offers deeper analysis of key plan-making trends, emerging policy responses and areas of heightened opportunity. Together, this content provides a powerful, regularly updated resource.

Please speak to any member of our specialist local teams to discuss the opportunities presented in more detail.