# The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026, Regulation 21: Gateway 1: self-assessment of readiness for local plan preparation


(1) A local planning authority must prepare, in connection with the preparation of their local plan, a document to be known as their “self-assessment summary”.
(2) The self-assessment summary must set out details relating to the following—
(a) the local planning authority’s local plan timetable, including whether the authority has published a timetable which complies with the requirements in section 15B of the Act and Part 2 of these Regulations,
(b) the local planning authority’s project management and governance arrangements for the preparation of their local plan,
(c) the local planning authority’s proposed approach to consultation and engagement in preparing their local plan,
(d) the anticipated content of the local planning authority’s local plan, and
(e) any obligation arising under Part 2 and Part 3 of the Environmental Assessment of Plans and Programmes Regulations 2004.
(3) A local planning authority must make their self-assessment summary available in accordance with regulation 88 no earlier than the later of—
(a) the first day after the period of four months beginning with the date on which the authority make available their notice of intention to commence local plan preparation under regulation 19(1), or
(b) the day after the date specified in the notice of scoping consultation.

---
Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/186/regulation/21 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/town-and-country-planning-local-planning-england-regulations-2026/regulation-21
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.