Levelling Up Act: planning powers start 14 April 2026

From 14 April 2026, England will switch on new planning powers for development corporations. If you live, study or teach in an area covered by one, the organisation writing the local plan, shaping neighbourhood plans and, in some places, setting minerals and waste policy may change. We break down what’s starting, who holds which power, and how you can take part in the decisions that follow.

The legal switch is the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (Commencement No. 10) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/168). Signed at 2.30 p.m. on 2 March 2026, they bring specific parts of the 2023 Act into force on 14 April 2026. The text is published on legislation.gov.uk and confirms which sections commence and when.

First, a quick glossary so we’re speaking the same language. Urban Development Corporations (UDCs) and New Town Development Corporations (NTDCs) are central government-created bodies set up to plan and deliver regeneration or a new settlement. Mayoral Development Corporations (MDCs) are created by an elected Mayor to lead big redevelopment in a defined area. All three can be given planning powers so that strategic projects move faster while still going through the planning system.

What changes for UDCs? Section 174 allows the Secretary of State to make a UDC the local planning authority for plan-making and neighbourhood planning in its area. It also updates the 1980 Act so certain planning functions, plus consenting for some electricity infrastructure under the Electricity Act 1989, can sit with the corporation. A UDC can arrange for the relevant council to handle day‑to‑day development management or assist with wider planning work. (legislation.gov.uk)

What changes for NTDCs? Section 175 inserts new powers into the New Towns Act 1981 so an NTDC can be made the local planning authority for local plans and neighbourhood plans, and the minerals and waste planning authority for plan‑making. Like UDCs, an NTDC can take on consenting for some electricity projects and can ask councils to manage applications or support plan-making, while keeping the ability to perform those functions itself. (legislation.gov.uk)

What changes for MDCs? Section 176 amends the Localism Act 2011 so the Mayor can decide, case by case, whether an MDC becomes the minerals and waste planning authority for plan‑making in all or part of its area. The MDC can seek help from the relevant council, and the Mayor can later remove or restrict the corporation’s planning functions if needed. (legislation.gov.uk)

Two governance shifts also begin. Section 178 removes the fixed cap on board membership for UDCs and NTDCs and the need to set numbers in the establishing order. Section 179 removes statutory borrowing limits for English UDCs and NTDCs on money borrowed after commencement-borrowing still requires HM Treasury approval and the Secretary of State’s consent, but the old numerical caps go. (legislation.gov.uk)

What this means where you live or study: who writes the plan really matters. Local plans set where homes, student housing, workplaces, parks and infrastructure can go; neighbourhood plans shape site design and local priorities; minerals and waste plans decide where quarries, recycling sites or energy‑from‑waste plants are planned. If a corporation becomes the plan‑maker, consultations and evidence‑gathering will run through that body rather than your district or unitary council. You’ll still have rights to comment, object, support and be heard at examination.

Day to day, many planning applications could still be decided by your council. That’s because the law allows corporations to delegate development management to the relevant council or ask for assistance. So you might submit representations to the corporation on the local plan, but send a planning application or neighbour comment to the council case officer-watch the small print on each notice so your views go to the right inbox. (legislation.gov.uk)

If you want a mental picture of what this looks like, Ebbsfleet’s development corporation already acts as the local planning authority for its area, handling plan‑making and applications for a defined zone. The new powers make it easier to apply similar arrangements elsewhere and to spell out who does what from the start. (en.wikipedia.org)

For students and teachers, this is a ready‑made civic lesson. Pick a nearby regeneration area and map who now does which planning task after 14 April 2026. Read the existing local plan and any neighbourhood plans, then compare how a corporation’s plan might change site allocations or town centre priorities. Track a live consultation and practise writing a clear, evidence‑based response. This builds core media‑literacy skills: finding primary sources, checking powers against statute, and separating opinion from policy.

Timing matters. These commencement regulations were made on 2 March 2026 and take effect on 14 April 2026. Expect practical guidance and consultation timetables to be published by individual corporations and councils as they assign roles and resources through spring and summer 2026. The government’s wider plan‑making update confirms a new system bedding in from early 2026, so local timelines may shift as guidance lands. (gov.uk)

Power moving away from a council can raise fair questions about accountability. Wider boards and the removal of borrowing caps could speed up infrastructure and housing delivery, but they also demand strong scrutiny: open meetings, published decisions, clear risk management and timely consultation. As readers of The Common Room, we can model that scrutiny-asking who sits on the board, how conflicts are handled, what borrowing funds, and how communities shape what gets built.