# The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026, Regulation 18: Preparation of a new local plan


(1) A local planning authority must begin preparation of a new local plan to replace the existing one within the period of five years beginning with the day after the date on which—
(a) the authority passed a resolution adopting the existing local plan under section 15EA of the Act, or
(b) the existing local plan was approved under Part 2 of the Act.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), a local planning authority has begun preparation of a new local plan once they have complied with regulation 21(3) (gateway 1: self-assessment of readiness to begin local plan preparation) in relation to the new local plan.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/186/regulation/18 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/town-and-country-planning-local-planning-england-regulations-2026/regulation-18
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.