The RTPI responds to announcements on plan-making reforms
On 27 November 2025, the Minister for Housing and Planning set out the latest update on reforms to England’s plan-making system. The Government has acknowledged that a plan-led approach must remain the foundation of the planning system and reiterated its commitment to achieving universal coverage of up-to-date local plans across the country.
The Government will shortly lay new regulations before Parliament to underpin its revised approach to plan-making, alongside newly issued guidance for local authorities. Together, these set out how local plans are expected to be prepared within a 30-month period and how the Government intends to deliver these plans.
Robbie Calvert, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the RTPI, said: “While we welcome new approaches to local plans outlined in today’s announcements, we also look forward to further guidance on preparing Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs). Alongside neighbourhood plans, SDSs are essential to providing a full picture of cross-boundary interdependencies and to creating a more accessible, coherent, and efficient planning system for both planners and communities. We also reiterate the importance of bringing forward a National Spatial Framework, ensuring that national priorities can flow through strategic planning into local plans in a coordinated and integrated way.”
Local plans provide certainty for investors and businesses, supporting productivity and regeneration, while giving communities a clear voice in shaping their areas. Crucially, full local plan coverage gives development management planners the confidence they need to make robust decisions. While we support the Government’s ambition for universal coverage, this has long been a failing element of the system, driven by sustained disinvestment in planning. Addressing this must be central to delivering the progress our system needs.
While the entire planning system has faced disinvestment since 2009, planning policy teams have been disproportionately affected by these cuts. Over the last 15 years we have seen a 28.8% reduction in funding to planning policy teams. Which is why in advance of the Autumn Budget 2025, we asked for investment in planning policy to be brought back to 2010 levels. Failing to secure this, we now urge government to find creative solutions to increasing capacity through innovation.
We strongly support efforts to improve data collection, standardisation and sharing. The additional practical tools and templates provided by the Planning Advisory Service will offer further valuable support to plan-makers as they prepare for the new system.
