UK planning law changes start 18 February 2026

If you teach planning or you’re studying how laws change on the ground, here’s the short version. A new commencement order was made on 18 December 2025 and published on 29 December. It switches on parts of the Levelling‑up and Regeneration Act 2023 and the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 at set dates, so councils, developers and communities know what starts when, according to legislation.gov.uk.

There are three key start points you can mark in your planner. First, the day after the order was made (19 December 2025) begins the process for Natural England to prepare Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) and for ministers to make related regulations. Second, 18 February 2026 activates most of the planning and compulsory purchase changes for England. Third, 1 April 2026 starts Natural England’s annual reporting duty on EDPs. These timings are set out in the commencement order summary used by practitioners.

Compulsory purchase: you’ll now see a new “conditional confirmation” tool. Under section 183 of the Levelling‑up and Regeneration Act 2023, a confirming authority can confirm a compulsory purchase order (CPO) but delay it becoming operative until named conditions are met. This is written into the Acquisition of Land Act 1981 and is aimed at more precise, staged decisions.

What that means in practice is simple: if conditions are later met, the acquiring authority must issue a fulfilment notice so everyone affected can see the order has moved from “conditional” to “live”. If conditions are not met in time, the order can expire. The consequential changes sit in Schedule 18 of the 2023 Act.

How far does this apply? The commencement order applies the conditional‑confirmation changes to CPOs confirmed by authorities in England, not by the Welsh Ministers. So if you’re comparing case studies across the border, note the jurisdiction. The order spells out that distinction.

There’s also a faster route for taking title to certain land after a CPO. Section 108 of the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 creates an expedited general vesting declaration (GVD) where, for example, land is unoccupied and unfit for ordinary use or no interest holder can be identified. The minimum period can drop from three months to six weeks, with a right to make representations and a duty on the authority to respond quickly.

Alongside that, section 109 introduces advancement of vesting by agreement, letting authorities and owners bring forward the vesting date where both sides consent. Both of these GVD changes are switched on for England from 18 February 2026 by the commencement order.

Notices change too. Section 106 of the 2025 Act simplifies what must go in newspaper notices during the CPO process, stripping back overly technical land descriptions. The power to make detailed regulations started the day after the order was made, with wider application from 18 February 2026.

Now to Environmental Delivery Plans. From 19 December 2025, Natural England can begin preparing EDPs that set out environmental features at risk from development, the conservation measures to address them, and a charging schedule for a new nature restoration levy. The Act also imposes duties to consult, monitor and co‑operate. This is all in Part 3 of the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025.

If you’re learning how this plays out for projects, the headline is choice. Where an EDP exists, a developer can choose to meet certain environmental obligations by paying the levy, and Natural England then delivers the measures in the plan. Natural England says most EDPs are expected to be voluntary and time‑limited (up to 10 years), with public consultation before approval.

There’s clear accountability built in. From 1 April 2026, Natural England must publish a report for each financial year on how it has used these powers. That reporting date is hard‑wired into the commencement order so students can track outcomes, not just promises.

National Policy Statements (NPS) also get a timetable. From 18 February 2026, ministers must carry out a full review of each NPS at least every five years, with new parliamentary steps for updates and a refreshed approach to legal challenges on major infrastructure decisions. This is designed to keep policy current while maintaining scrutiny, as explained in the Act and in Hansard.

Development corporations gain clearer, standardised powers on sustainable development, climate change and the types of infrastructure they can deliver, with tidier rules where different corporation models overlap. These changes also go live on 18 February 2026. Parliament’s summary highlights this strand as part of speeding delivery.

Transitional rules matter for casework. The new conditional‑confirmation provisions won’t apply to a CPO if its first public notice (of making or of a draft) was published before they commence. And the expedited GVD route doesn’t apply to acquisitions authorised before its start date. If you’re revising past papers, that’s your cut‑off.

One final clarity point you may spot on exam scripts and in ministerial signatures: the department’s name. Since July 2024 it has been the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government again (not “DLUHC”), following a formal Machinery of Government change. That’s why the order is signed in MHCLG’s name.

Debate will continue about the balance between speed and safeguards. Environmental groups have criticised the EDP and levy model, while the government argues it will deliver housing and infrastructure faster; use these sources to teach students how to weigh claims against statute and guidance. Start with the Act text, Natural England’s explainer and recent reporting to compare positions.