About the Planning System

Planning involves making decisions about the future of our cities, towns and countryside. This is vital to balance our desire to develop the areas where we live and work with ensuring the surrounding environment isn't negatively affected for everyone. It includes considering the sustainable needs of future communities.

The planning system in Wales has involved three main levels of plans setting out what can be built and where. These are:

• Future Wales: The National Plan 2040¹
• Strategic Development Plans (SDPs)
• Local Development Plans (LDPs)

The LDPs, together with the national plan and SDPs, determine how the planning system will help shape all communities in Wales. 

Government have published a quick guide to demonstrate how the different levels of plan work together to shape national policy².

Future Wales: The National Plan 2040

Local planning authorities, in preparing a local development plan (LDP), must have regard to the Future Wales National Plan. Future Wales focuses on challenges Wales faces at a national level and forms part of the wider development plan.

Local Development Plans

Each Local Planning Authority in Wales must produce a Local Development Plan (LDP) for its area. LDPs include planning policies and site allocations which, when adopted, are used to determine planning applications.

Before adopting an LDP, Local Planning Authorities must submit the plan to the Welsh Government for independent examination by a Planning Inspector. Inspectors assess whether LDPs are ‘sound’ and can be adopted by the local planning authority.

The Welsh Government has identified a series of tests of ‘soundness’. When preparing LDPs, local planning authorities must adhere to this and other Welsh Government policy/guidance, including Planning Policy Wales, Technical Advice Notes and the LDP Manual³. These and other policy/guidance documents can be found on the Welsh Government website⁴.

1. https://www.gov.wales/future-wales-national-plan-2040-0
2. https://www.gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2022-05/development-plans-in-wales-a-quick-guide_0.pdf
3. https://www.gov.wales/development-plans-manual-edition-3-march-2020
4. https://www.gov.wales/development-plans