Local plans: the examination process - GOV.UK

Local plans: the examination process - GOV.UK Cookies on GOV.UK We use some essential cookies to make this website work. We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time. View cookies Guidance Local plans: the examination process The local plan examination process and the role the Planning Inspectorate plays. From: Planning Inspectorate Published 1 January 2012 26 March 2026 See all updates Applies to England For plans under the new plan-making system If you are submitting your plan under the new system, use the create or update a local plan new system guidance The new plan-making system covers plans that will be prepared and amended under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, as modified by the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023. Introduction Local plans are prepared by the Local Planning Authority (LPA), usually the Council or the national park authority for the area. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) states that the planning system should be genuinely plan-led. Succinct and up-to-date plans should provide a positive vision for the future of each area and a framework for addressing housing needs and other economic, social and environmental priorities. Changes to the local plans system from 2026 From early 2026, there will be a new system for creating and examining local plans. The new plan-making process was first introduced in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 with further details confirmed in November 2025. Guidance for the new system is being published through the Create and Update a Local Plan (CULP) service. The Planning Inspectorate will soon publish the first edition of its Procedure Guide for Local Plans prepared and examined under the new system. This guide will offer a high-level overview of the process and practical advice on the Inspectorate’s role in local plan preparation and examination. Following its publication, further detailed guidance and support relating to the new-style plan making system will be made available throughout 2026, including details of our new digital services for examinations. During 2026, there will be a transition period where both the existing and new systems will operate concurrently, allowing authorities to choose which route to follow. The last date for local plan submissions under the existing regulations will be 31 December 2026. Information relating to the existing local plans system The information below relates to local plan preparation and examination under the existing regulations. Before the plan is submitted The Minister of State wrote to the Planning Inspectorate on 30 July 2024 re-iterating that LPAs must not submit local plans unless they think they are ready for independent examination.  It indicates that LPAs should not therefore submit deficient plans believing that Inspectors will use significant time and resource during examinations to ‘fix’ them. It sets out that pragmatism should not be used to address fundamental issues, which would be likely to require pausing or delaying the examination process for over six months overall.  Any extensions to a six-month pause should only be allowed at Inspectors’ discretion, where they are confident that LPAs can complete work in an agreed timeline. In order to help ensure a local plan is ready for examination, once the LPA has finished preparing and consulting on the plan it should complete a pre-examination checklist and send this to the Planning Inspectorate Local plans: pre examination checklists .  The Planning Inspectorate will then aim to respond in writing within 10 working days either advising that the plan is ready for examination or recommending specific actions for the LPA to take before submitting the plan. The examination Once the LPA is satisfied that the local plan is ready for examination, it must be submitted to the Secretary of State who will appoint an Inspector or Inspectors to carry out an independent examination.  This process is dealt with by the Planning Inspectorate. The examination will assess whether the plan has been prepared in accordance with legal and procedural requirements and if it is sound. The four tests of soundness are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) The Inspector will consider the evidence provided by the LPA to support the plan and any representations which have been put forward by local people and other interested parties. In most cases the examination will include hearing sessions which are held in public. The Inspector will work with the LPA to determine the appropriate format for those sessions, which could be in-person/physical (‘real’), ‘virtual’ video or telephone conference, or a ‘blended’ mix of formats (i.e. a mix of in-person and virtual). At the end of the examination the Inspector will send a report to the LPA recommending whether or not they can adopt the plan. In most cases the report will recommend some changes that are necessary to allow the plan to be adopted. These are known as ‘main modifications’. In carrying out the examination, the Inspector will be conscious of the benefits of having a robust and up to date plan adopted as quickly as possible and will apply the principles of openness, fairness and impartiality. The LPA is responsible for paying for the cost of the examining Inspector. The fees are set out in the Town and Country Planning (Costs of Independent Examinations) (Standard Daily Amount) (England) Regulations 2006 Advice about local plan examinations Detailed practical guidance on the procedural aspects of local plan examinations can be found in the Procedure Guide for Local Plan Examinations . The Guide includes links to the relevant legislation and applies to local plan examinations, including joint local plans prepared by more than one local planning authority. The appointed Inspector will work with the LPA to determine the format for the hearing sessions and guidance will be provided for all participants. Local authorities wanting more information about how the hearing stages will take place should contact the local plans team at plans.admin@planninginspectorate.gov.uk . Different procedures apply for the examination of Spatial Development Strategies. There is also a short guide aimed particularly at those taking part in an examination for the first time The Government’s planning policies relating to local plans can be found in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and further information is provided in Planning Practice Guidance The Planning Inspectorate also produces a model representation form for local plans which is available for use by LPAs at the publication (Regulation 19) stage of consultation. The Planning Inspectorate takes its data protection responsibilities for the information you provide us with very seriously. To find out more about how we use and manage your personal data, please go to our privacy notice . We have also produced advice for LPAs about designing the local plan examination webpage A copy of the standard Service Level Agreement for the examination is available on request by contacting plans.admin@planninginspectorate.gov.uk . This includes a data sharing agreement. The Planning Inspectorate provides ‘advisory visits’ which LPAs are encouraged to request during plan preparation.  These are informal discussions chaired by an experienced Inspector on a without prejudice basis.  Their aim is to assist LPAs to prepare effectively for the examination process.  In the interests of impartiality, Inspectors who conduct advisory visits on a plan would not be subsequently appointed to examine it.  LPAs who wish to request an advisory visit can do so by contacting the local plans team at plans.admin@planninginspectorate.gov.uk The role of the Secretary of State in local plans The Secretary of State has a number of legal powers relating to plan making and the examination. The Secretary of State wrote to the Chief Executive of the Planning Inspectorate in connection with these powers on 18 June 2019. This letter’s expectations relating to pragmatism have been updated by the Minister of State’s Letter to the Planning Inspectorate of 30 July 2024. In accordance with this letter the Planning Inspectorate will share all post-hearing advice letters, letters containing interim findings and any other letters and any letters which raise soundness or significant legal compliance issues, as well as fact-check reports, with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on a for-information basis, at least 48 hours before they are sent to the LPA. The fact check report is the version of the Inspector’s final report which is sent to the LPA to check for factual errors or inconsistencies. The final report is issued after the fact-check process has been completed. Programme Officers When a plan is submitted the LPA is responsible for appointing the Programme Officer and for the processing of any personal data during the examination. The role of the Programme Officer is to provide administrative support to the examination. The Programme Officer provides a channel for all communications between the Inspector and the LPA and other participants. The Planning Inspectorate provides Programme Officer Training Notes and runs a training course for new and experienced Programme Officers from time to time depending on demand. No scheduled course date at the moment. Spaces on the course will be limited so please refer to this page for future updates. If you are interested in attending the course or you need further advice on how to find a Programme Officer please email plans.admin@planninginspectorate.gov.uk Monitoring local plan progress The Planning Inspectorate maintains a list of the overall position for each LPA. This is updated as examinations are completed. The date of publication and adoption is based on information provided by the LPA. The date of publication is when the LPA carries out its final public consultation on the plan before it is submitted for examination, under Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012. These lists can be found on our monitoring local plans page A list of Local Plan Examination hearing dates the Planning Inspectorate is holding over the next few months can be found on our monitoring local plans page NOTE: this update is only for ‘first hearing sessions’ not subsequent ones. If you have a question about the timing of the publication, submission or adoption of a local plan, please contact the relevant LPA directly. Keeping the Planning Inspectorate informed LPAs should keep the Planning Inspectorate informed about when their plans are to be published, submitted and adopted. If the Planning Inspectorate is not kept informed of the likely date for submission this could cause a delay in appointing  Inspectors and to the early stages of the examination. LPAs should send their updates to plans.admin@planninginspectorate.gov.uk Community Infrastructure Levy Information about Community Infrastructure Levy examinations Examining Spatial Development Strategies Information about Spatial Development Strategies Complaints If you have a complaint about our work in examining local plans, community infrastructure plans or spatial development strategies please see our complaints procedure Updates to this page Published 1 January 2012 show all updates 26 March 2026 No scheduled course date at the moment for training programme officers. 12 February 2026 [REMOVED] 2 December 2025 Changes to the local plans system from 2026 section added 27 November 2025 Added information about the new plan-making system. 24 November 2025 'The next Programme Officer training course has not yet been confirmed but is expected to be held in London in March/April 2026.’ 23 September 2025 Updated to reflect pre-examination checklist requirements 1 September 2025 The next Programme Officer training course is scheduled for Wednesday 05 November. 1 July 2025 The next Programme Officer training course has not yet been confirmed but is expected to be held in London in the Autumn of 2025. We will update this page in due course with the details. 16 January 2025 The next Programme Officer training course is scheduled for Wednesday 02 April. 23 August 2024 We have incorporated changes to the ‘Examining Local Plans’ section to reflect the relevant section of the ministerial letter. Amendments are also made to that section to reflect up-to-date practice relating to determining the format of hearing sessions. Changes are made so that panel appointments are covered. We have altered the section on ‘advisory visits’ to reflect the Ministerial Letter and associated proposed changes to the Procedural Guidance. There’s also a minor amendment in this section (deletion of the words ‘a mayor’s’) which anticipates proposed changes to spatial development strategies. The ‘Role of the Secretary of State in Local Plans’ section has been updated to remove references to the 2015 letter, and to include a footnote which clarifies that the elements of the 2019 letter relating to pragmatism have been updated by the July 2024 Letter. 25 July 2024 The next Programme Officer training course is scheduled for Thursday 07 November. 12 January 2024 [REMOVED] 7 December 2023 The next Programme Officer training course is scheduled for Tuesday 05 March 2024. 10 February 2023 wording added 'The Inspector will determine the appropriate format for those sessions, which could be in-person/physical (‘real’), ‘virtual’ video or telephone conference, blended events or a ‘blended’ mix of formats for each or different sessions (i.e. a mix of in-person and virtual).' 9 December 2022 The next Programme Officer training course is scheduled for Tuesday 18th April 2023 25 November 2022 Correction again: The next Programme Officer training course is scheduled for Thursday 16th March 2023 25 November 2022 Correction from March to April: The next Programme Officer training course is scheduled for Thursday 16th April 2023 25 November 2022 The next Programme Officer training course is scheduled for Thursday 16th March 2023. 31 May 2022 Removing all Covid-19 related messaging 13 May 2022 Details added for the next Programme Officer training course: Wednesday, 05 October 2022. 15 March 2022 Update to first paragraph under subheading 'Programme Officers'. 18 February 2022 Link to the new list of Local Plan Examination hearing dates has been added. 14 February 2022 Link to page on 'taking part in an examination for the first time' added. 20 December 2021 Advice on holding an advisory meeting added 9 December 2021 New information for programme officer training 7 September 2021 Advice added for local authorities on who to contact for more information about how the hearing stages take place. 17 August 2021 Advice about local plan examinations section updated. 5 July 2021 The next Programme Officer training course has now been confirmed for Wednesday 22 September. 23 June 2021 Plans containing strategic policies updated 2 June 2021 Programme Officer training course has now been confirmed for Wednesday 07 July 29 March 2021 Programme Officer training course update 16 March 2021 Link updated to the Planning Inspectorate new Privacy Policy 11 March 2021 Plans containing strategic policies (ODS) and Plans containing non-strategic policies (ODS) updated 5 February 2021 Updated Plans Privacy Statement, LPA Strategic Plan Progress spreadsheet updated and LPA Other Plans Progress spreadsheet updated 20 January 2021 Plans containing strategic and Plans containing non-strategic policies updated 14 December 2020 The next Programme Officer training course will be held on Tuesday 26 January, 2021. This will be a virtual event and will run from 09:30 to 13:00 approx. Spaces on this course are limited and early booking is advised 26 November 2020 Plans Privacy Statement updated and wording updated at: Please note that some aspects of the Procedure Guide pre-dates measure to limit the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19). 25 November 2020 Plans containing strategic policies documents updated 30 October 2020 Link added to the advice for LPAs about designing the local plan examination webpage. 13 October 2020 Plans containing strategic policies and Plans containing non-strategic policies documents updated. 23 September 2020 Updated versions of 'Plans containing strategic policies' published 5 August 2020 Plans containing strategic policies and Plans containing non-strategic policies documents updated 3 July 2020 Plans containing strategic policies and Plans containing non-strategic policies documents updated. 24 June 2020 Section on complaints added to the page 4 June 2020 Plans containing strategic policies and Plans containing non-strategic policies documents updated 2 June 2020 Please note that the Procedure Guide pre-dates measures to limit the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) and it may not currently be possible to follow some of the advice it contains. 13 May 2020 Plans containing strategic policies and Plans containing non-strategic policies documents updated. 7 April 2020 The next Programme Officer training course, which was due to take place on Wednesday, 29 April 2020, has been cancelled because of coronavirus (COVID-19), this will be rearranged. 12 March 2020 The Planning Inspectorate has published guidance on site visits, hearings, inquiries and events in connection with Coronavirus (COVID-19) 21 February 2020 The next Programme Officer training course will be held on Wednesday, 29 April 2020. 11 February 2020 link to Examining Spatial Development Strategies added to the page 7 February 2020 Plans containing strategic policies and Plans containing non-strategic policies documents updated. 8 January 2020 Plans containing strategic policies and Plans containing non-strategic policies have been updated 19 December 2019 Expected plan submissions for the next 6 months updated 9 December 2019 Plans containing strategic policies and Plans containing non-strategic policies documents updated 11 November 2019 The next Programme Officer training course will be held on Wednesday, 15 January 2020. 8 November 2019 Added a link to the Inspectorate's news item on Approach to casework during the pre-election period 6 November 2019 Plans containing strategic policies and Plans containing non-strategic policies documents updated 4 October 2019 Local plan progress lists updated 23 September 2019 The Programme Officers training course that was due to be held on the Thursday 26 September has been cancelled. 5 September 2019 Local plan progress lists updated 29 August 2019 A report listing the local plans expected to be submitted within the next 6 months added 13 August 2019 Plans containing strategic policies and Plans containing non-strategic policies documents updated. 5 July 2019 Local Plan progress lists updated 1 July 2019 Page rewritten, documents updated. 24 June 2019 Date for next training course updated, it's being held on 26 September 2019. 5 June 2019 Core strategy progress and Other plans documents updated. 10 May 2019 Core strategy progress and Other plan documents updated 4 April 2019 Core strategy progress and Other plan documents updated 19 March 2019 Other plans and strategic plans documents updated 6 February 2019 Other plan and strategic plan documents updated 22 January 2019 Update to the date for the training course for local authority Programme Officers 4 January 2019 December Core strategy progress & Other plans documents added 2 January 2019 Core strategy progress and Other plans documents Updated 13 November 2018 Training course dates updated 5 November 2018 Core strategy progress and Other plans documents updated with October data 4 October 2018 Plan progress and strategic plan progress lists updated 13 September 2018 Plan progress and lpa strategic plan progress updated 20 August 2018 Additional date added for the Programme Officer training. 8 August 2018 Core strategy progress & Other plans documents updated 11 July 2018 Core strategy progress and Other plans documents updated 19 June 2018 Course date updated 7 June 2018 Core strategy progress and Other plans documents updated 29 May 2018 Plans Privacy Statement added in line with GDPR. 9 May 2018 Core strategy progress and Other plans Updated 10 April 2018 Core strategy progress and Other plans documents updated 3 April 2018 Date changed for the one-day training course for local authority Programme Officers. 7 March 2018 Core strategy progress & Other plans documents updated. 20 February 2018 Updated the date of the next Programme Officer course 8 February 2018 Core strategy progress & Other plans docs updated 8 January 2018 Core strategy progress and Other plans documents updated 7 December 2017 Core strategy progress and Other plans documents updated 6 November 2017 Plan documents updated. 6 October 2017 Core strategy progress & other plans documents updated 13 September 2017 Core strategy progress & other plans documents updated. 14 August 2017 July data added 6 July 2017 Core strategy progress and Other plans documents updated 7 June 2017 Strategic and other plan progress documents updated. 5 May 2017 Strategic plan and other plans documents updated 3 May 2017 Date added for the one-day training course for local authority Programme Officers. 11 April 2017 Core strategy and other plans documents updated 15 March 2017 'What if you disagree' section added. 7 March 2017 Plans documents updated 6 February 2017 Strategic plan and other plan attached documents updated 6 January 2017 Core strategy and plans documents updated. 14 December 2016 Date updated for training course 2 December 2016 Core strategy progress and other plans chart updated 8 November 2016 Core strategy progress and other plan chart updated 4 October 2016 Strategic plan and LPA plan updated 6 September 2016 Core strategy progress and other plan tables updated 20 July 2016 Inserted date to next course - 09 November 2016 13 July 2016 Core strategy progress and other plan charts updated 23 June 2016 Procedural guidance document updated to take account of recent refinements in practice and the update to the Planning Practice Guidance published on 19 May 2016 6 June 2016 LPA strategic plan and LPA other plan progress documentS updated. 2 June 2016 Link to guidance removed as guide was incorrect 4 May 2016 Other plan and strategic plan Documents updated with April figures 5 April 2016 Local plan (other plans) and Strategic plan documents updated. 2 March 2016 Updated core strategy process and other plans process 15 February 2016 New document: Programme Officer Training Notes added 3 February 2016 Updated progress plans 7 January 2016 New version of the booklet Examining Local Plans Procedural Practice. 1 January 2012 First published. 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