Minister for Housing and Planning (): The government was
clear in its manifesto that housing need in England cannot be met
without planning for growth on a larger than local scale. That is
why we committed to introducing effective new mechanisms for
cross-boundary strategic planning.
In the English Devolution White Paper, Power and Partnership:
Foundations for Growth, published in December 2024, we reaffirmed
our intention to re-introduce mandatory strategic planning
through the production of sub-regional Spatial Development
Strategies (SDSs) across England.
The Planning and Infrastructure Act, which received Royal Assent
in December 2025, contains provisions that place a duty on
combined authorities, combined county authorities, upper-tier
county councils and unitary authorities to prepare a SDS for
their area. The Bill also enables the government to establish
“strategic planning boards” to prepare SDSs on behalf of
specified groupings of these authorities. These provisions will
be brought into force this summer.
The rollout of SDSs will re-introduce a strategic tier to the
planning system in England. SDSs are intended to be high-level
spatial frameworks for housing growth and infrastructure
investment. They will ensure that sub-regional areas can
effectively plan to meet their housing needs; co-ordinate the
provision of strategic infrastructure; grow their economies; and
improve the environment and climate resilience. They will set the
context for local plans which will have to be in “general
conformity” with the SDS once it has been adopted.
We remain committed to ensuring universal coverage of up-to-date
local plans as quickly as possible. The production of SDSs should
not be used as a reason to delay the preparation of local plans.
Mayoral strategic authorities will prepare the SDS for their
area. In areas without mayoral strategic authorities, the
responsibility for producing SDSs will sit with non-mayoral
foundation strategic authorities. Where these do not exist,
responsibility will sit with upper tier county councils and
unitary authorities who will, in most cases, be required to work
together to produce SDSs.
We set out in the English Devolution White Paper that we will
generally expect these authorities to work together to produce
SDSs over “sensible geographies” as defined within it. The
Planning and Infrastructure Act sets out a formal mechanism to
enable such groups of authorities to work together, namely a
strategic planning board. These will operate in a similar way to
joint planning committees that have been established to
coordinate the preparation of joint local plans in some parts of
England.
Today, we are launching a consultation on the geography for SDSs.
The consultation identifies a number of groupings where we
understand that there is a degree of broad agreement about the
principle of working together, and in these areas we propose an
SDS geography. In other areas where such agreement is tenuous or
lacking entirely, we are inviting proposals to help inform final
decisions.
Where areas are able to quickly confirm their support for a
particular grouping, my officials will look to work with those
authorities to agree the terms for a strategic planning board.
These will then be subject to statutory consultation. To support
SDS production, the government has identified a funding package.
We expect to make some initial payments in March and to confirm
the full package in the summer.
Separately, Minister Fahnbulleh has also made a statement to the
House, announcing the next step forward in the government's
English devolution agenda: an invitation from the Secretary of
State for all areas in England without an existing devolution
agreement to come forward with their neighbours with an
expression of interest for a new Foundation Strategic Authority
(FSA). In the vast majority of cases, we would expect the
geographies for SDSs to align with Foundation Strategic
Authorities.
Statement from
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
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