Guidance Plan-making published by the Governent on 27th November 2025.

5th December 2025

We summarise the main points from the UK government’s “Plan-making” guidance page.

What is “plan-making” for?

The “development plan” is central to how planning decisions are made in England. Local planning authorities must base decisions on it — unless there are “material considerations” that justify a departure.
A development plan sets out a long-term vision and framework for the area’s future. That includes: housing, economy, infrastructure, community facilities, environmental protection, heritage, climate change adaptation/mitigation, and good design.
Plans are made up of:
- Strategic policies — covering high-level priorities (e.g. broad housing and infrastructure need, major land use strategy).
- Non-strategic (detailed) policies — dealing with more granular or local matters (e.g. particular site allocations, design standards).

The purpose is to ensure coherent, consistent, and sustainable development rather than ad-hoc, piecemeal decisions.

Cooperation & cross-boundary working

When local planning issues cross administrative boundaries (e.g. housing markets, transport, environment), authorities are required to work together under a legal “duty to cooperate.”
Authorities should publish a Statement of Common Ground that: defines the area covered, sets out which strategic matters are being addressed collaboratively (e.g. housing distribution, infrastructure, environmental constraints), identifies which authorities are involved, and explains how cooperation will work (governance, updates, distribution of need).
This cooperation is especially important for strategic infrastructure, housing needs and places that span multiple jurisdictions.

This helps ensure planning is coordinated across neighbouring areas rather than siloed.

Process: Evidence, Consultation, and Review

Before adopting a plan, authorities must build a robust evidence base: assessing needs (housing, business, infrastructure), likely growth, land availability, viability, environmental and sustainability impacts, and more.
They should consult local communities, businesses, stakeholders — using flexible methods (digital consultations, exhibitions, written/stakeholder feedback).
Local plans (and associated policies) must be reviewed at least every 5 years to ensure they remain relevant to changing local needs and circumstances.

This ensures the plan remains up to date and responsive over time.

Adoption, Examination, and Delivery

Once drafted, plans are submitted for independent examination (by Planning Inspectorate) to check they meet legal requirements and the tests of “soundness” under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Submission must include: evidence supporting the plan, a sustainability appraisal, consultation responses, details of how objections / proposals have been considered.
For bigger strategic proposals (new settlements, major growth areas), the plan should include long-term vision — sometimes 30 years or more — and must address how infrastructure will be funded and delivered over time.
Authorities should engage providers (infrastructure, services, developers) early, and may include an Infrastructure Funding Statement (or equivalent) to set out how developments will be funded and supported.

This links land-use planning with practical delivery of homes, transport, utilities and services.

Flexibility, Local Detail & Supplementary Documents

There’s no strict requirement for all policies to be in a single document — authorities can choose the structure that suits local circumstances: one plan, joint plans (across several authorities), or separate documents for strategic vs detailed policies.
Authorities can prepare a joint local plan with neighbouring authorities — useful where issues cross borders or resources can be shared (e.g. evidence base, infrastructure planning).
Supporting documents like Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) can provide additional, more detailed guidance (e.g. design guides, planning briefs). These are not part of the statutory “development plan,” but still carry weight when decisions are made.

This gives local authorities flexibility to tailor plans to their context — while maintaining a consistent legal/statutory backbone.