The Planning Inspectorate has published its procedure guide for
local plan examinations under the new local plan system.
This initial edition of
the guide supports local planning
authorities (LPAs) and others involved in plan
preparation and examination. It offers practical guidance,
procedure and information and covers the gateway assessments and
the examination process in detail.
The new local plan system, developed by the Ministry of
Housing, Communities and Local Government
(MHCLG) and with specialist input from the
Planning Inspectorate, came into force in March 2026 with the
newTown and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England)
Regulations 2026,replacing the existing 2012 plan making
regulations. It introduced a structured gateway process
designed to support earlier engagement and help deliver the
government's expectation of a 30-month end-to-end plan-making
process.
Local authorities working under the new local plan
system are encouraged to visit Create or Update a Local
Plan (CULP), which is the central resource for
plan-making guidance and complements this procedural guide.
Andrew Megginson, Head of Plans Examination for the
planning Inspectorate said:
We are ready to support local planning authorities as they begin
working under the new local plan system, and this guide
is an important step in setting out how we will work with them
through gateways and examinations. This is a first
edition - we will continue to develop and refine the
guidance as the system beds in and as we gain experience of how
it works in practice. We are committed to working closely with
MHCLG and the wider planning community to make this new system a
success.
The procedure guide is
available on the Planning Inspectorate's GOV.UK pages. For
wider plan-making guidance, visit Create and Update a Local
Plan (CULP).
Webinar and live question
and answer (Q & A) session - Monday 6
July
We know there is considerable appetite in the plan-making
community for further information on how examinations will
work in practice under the new local plan system, and on the
digital services being developed alongside it. We are therefore
pleased to announce a webinar and live
Q & A session on Monday 6 July, register
here.
The webinar Plan, Prepare, Progress: A practical guide to
the new local plan system - will be presented by
the Planning Inspectorate's Andrew Megginson (Head of Plans
Examination) and Simon Berkeley (Planning Inspector and
Professional Lead for Local Plans) and feature contributions from
colleagues at the Inspectorate and MHCLG. It will
also give an introduction to both the new local
plan system procedure guide and the digital services in
development. The webinar will be followed by a
live Q & A event which will give LPAs the opportunity to
hear directly from the teams developing the new system, ask
questions, and get clarity on how examinations will work in
practice.
Legacy and new systems running
together
The local plans system has now entered a period
of dual-running. The legacy plan-making system
(2012 regulations) will remain in place for authorities to adopt
planssubmittedno later than 31 December 2026, while the new
local plan system is available for other
authorities.
Information from MHCLG
Create or update a local
plan using the new system - GOV.UK
Gateway 2 assessment for
local plans: what you need to do - GOV.UK
Gateway 3 for local plans:
what you need to do - GOV.UK
