Joint planning rules change in England on 25 March 2026

From 25 March 2026, new regulations reshape how councils in England make plans together. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (Local Planning) (Modification and Consequential Amendments) (England) Regulations 2026-SI 2026/170-were made at 8.06 a.m. on 3 March and laid before Parliament on 4 March. They sit on top of reforms introduced by the Levelling‑up and Regeneration Act 2023, which overhauled the plan‑making system. (legislation.gov.uk)

If you’re a student councillor, neighbourhood forum lead, or a planning teacher, the headline is simple: councils can still write a single plan together, but the law now spells out when they must act jointly and when each authority must act for itself. Joint working is encouraged, but cherry‑picking isn’t: key steps must be done together for the plan to count as a joint local plan. This flows from the updated provisions in Part 2 of the 2004 Act. (legislation.gov.uk)

What happens if a joint plan stalls? The Secretary of State’s intervention powers under section 15HA now apply clearly to joint work. If the Department decides the joint plan is failing or looks unsatisfactory, any “take‑over” of preparation applies to all the councils in that joint plan, not just one. Directions, however, can be aimed at one or more councils to get things moving. Think of it as a shared responsibility with targeted nudges when needed. These powers were created by the 2023 Act. (legislation.gov.uk)

Joint supplementary plans-shorter documents with the same legal weight as the local plan-follow similar rules. All relevant authorities must adopt the document for it to take effect, and the Secretary of State can direct one or more authorities if the joint supplementary plan looks off track, while any full take‑over would apply to the whole group. Government guidance confirms supplementary plans now sit firmly in the development plan. (gov.uk)

A practical point we’ll all be asked about in committee papers: what if a new plan replaces an old joint one? The law now sets out how joint local plans are automatically revoked in whole or in part when a new joint plan, or a new single‑authority plan, comes in. It also allows the Secretary of State, on request, to revoke a joint local plan so far as it relates to one authority’s area, and to revoke a joint supplementary plan for an authority’s area-or even for specific sites-when asked to do so. These revocation tools are part of the updated section 15G framework. (bills.parliament.uk)

Minerals and waste planning has its own tidy‑up. Where earlier law spoke loosely about “the minerals and waste plan”, the system now recognises that these plans are often made up of several documents. The regulations say to read many “local plan” references as applying to a “minerals and waste plan document”, and confirm the Secretary of State can direct preparation of a joint minerals and waste document whether or not it sits in the authority’s published timetable. Government’s explainer sets out the parallel process for these plans. (gov.uk)

There’s also a sweep of consequential amendments so that other regulations keep working once the new plan‑making system starts. Definitions are updated in the Listed Buildings Regulations, the Development Management Procedure Order, Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations, Brownfield Land Register rules and several Combined Authority orders. This is housekeeping: it aligns cross‑references with the re‑written Part 2 of the 2004 Act. (gov.uk)

Key dates and transitions matter for your timeline. The government says the new local plan‑making system begins in early 2026. Plans already in the old system can carry on if they’re submitted for examination by 31 December 2026. Supplementary Planning Documents can continue to be used for now, with a last adoption date of 30 June 2026. Councils are also given deadlines to trigger and begin new‑style plan preparation. (gov.uk)

What this means for your next meeting: if you sit on a joint committee, expect more explicit joint decisions at the formal points-publication, submission, examination steps and adoption. If you’re a single authority inside a wider joint plan area, you cannot simply press ahead alone at those moments, but you can ask the Secretary of State to revoke the joint plan for your patch if you intend to adopt a new one. The intent is to keep decisions clean and accountable across boundaries. (bills.parliament.uk)

Quick glossary for the classroom or cabinet paper. A “joint local plan” is a single plan covering two or more councils, adopted by all of them. A “supplementary plan” contains focused policies and now carries the same legal weight as a local plan. A “minerals and waste plan document” is any document that forms part of a council’s minerals and waste plan. “Relevant authorities” are the councils taking part in the joint plan. A “policies map” shows where plan policies apply on the ground. Government’s explainer sets out these building blocks. (gov.uk)

FAQ you’ll likely get from residents. Can one council drop out of a joint plan mid‑stream? Not for the key stages-everyone must act together-but a council can ask the Secretary of State to revoke the joint plan for its area, or revoke a joint supplementary plan for its area or specific sites, if it is moving to a replacement plan. Will Whitehall run your plan if progress slips? Only in limited cases-and if it takes over, it does so for all councils in that joint plan, though it can direct individual councils to fix specific issues. (bills.parliament.uk)

If you’re teaching or scrutinising this, here’s a study prompt. Compare the new joint‑working rules with the previous regime and ask: do they reduce delay by clarifying who signs what, or do they add steps? Use a recent joint plan example from your area to map the gateways in the government explainer to the decisions your committee must take. That exercise builds the media‑literacy muscle we all need for planning debates. (gov.uk)