# The Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026, Regulation 82: Joint local plans: application of these Regulations


(1) These Regulations apply in relation to a joint local plan as they apply in relation to a local plan.
(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1)—
(a) the relevant authorities must act jointly to comply with the following provisions—
(i) regulation 26(1) to (3) (gateway 2: observations or advice from an appointed person),
(ii) where it applies, regulation 28 (conformity with operative spatial development strategy),
(iii) regulation 31(1) to (3) (gateway 3: prescribed requirements assessment by an appointment person), and
(iv) where it applies, regulation 33(2) to (4) and (8) (repeat of gateway 3),
(b) each of the relevant authorities must comply with the following provisions—
(i) the requirement to make available a notice of intention to commence local plan preparation under regulation 19(1),
(ii) regulation 38 (withdrawal of a local plan),
(iii) regulation 39 (adoption of a local plan), and
(iv) regulation 40(1) and (3) (revocation of a local plan),
(c) except in regulation 19(1) (notice of intention to commence local plan preparation), regulation 38 (withdrawal of a local plan), regulation 39(1) (adoption of a local plan) and regulation 40(1) (revocation of a local plan), any reference in Part 4 to a requirement for a local planning authority to make a document available in accordance with regulation 88 must be read as a requirement for the relevant authorities to make that document available jointly in accordance with paragraph (7),
(d) anything else (not referred to in sub-paragraphs (a) to (c)) which may or must be done by a local planning authority in connection with a local plan is to be done in connection with the joint local plan either—
(i) by each of the relevant authorities, or
(ii) by the relevant authorities acting jointly, and
(e) anything which may or must be done in relation to a local planning authority in connection with a local plan is to be done in relation to each of the relevant authorities in connection with the joint local plan.
(3) Where each of the relevant authorities comply with regulation 20(1) (scoping consultation)—
(a) the authorities must do so on the same day, and
(b) each authority’s notice of scoping consultation must—
(i) be consistent with the notice of scoping consultation of each other relevant authority, and
(ii) specify each other relevant authority for whose area the joint local plan is to be their local plan.
(4) Where each of the relevant authorities comply with regulation 21 (gateway 1: self-assessment of readiness for local plan preparation)—
(a) the authorities must comply with regulation 21(3) on the same day, and
(b) each authority’s self-assessment summary must be consistent with the self-assessment summary of each other relevant authority.
(5) Where each of the relevant authorities comply with regulation 23(1) (consultation on proposed local plan content and evidence)—
(a) the authorities must do so on the same day,
(b) each authority’s notice of plan content and evidence consultation must—
(i) be consistent with the notice of plan content and evidence consultation of each other relevant authority, and
(ii) specify each other relevant authority for whose area the joint local plan is to the their local plan, and
(c) each authority’s proposed local plan content and evidence must be consistent with the proposed local plan content and evidence of each other relevant authority.
(6) Where each of the relevant authorities comply with regulation 27(1) (consultation on the proposed local plan)—
(a) the authorities must do so on the same day,
(b) each authority’s notice of proposed local plan consultation must—
(i) be consistent with the notice of proposed local plan consultation of each other relevant authority, and
(ii) specify each other relevant authority for whose area the joint local plan is to be their local plan, and
(c) each authority’s proposed local plan submission documents must be consistent with the proposed local plan submission documents of each other relevant authority.
(7) A document is taken to be made available jointly by the relevant authorities when that document is—
(a) published on—
(i) each relevant authority’s website, or
(ii) the relevant authorities’ website for the joint local plan, and
(b) made available for inspection, at the principal office of each relevant authority and at such other places within the area of each relevant authority as they consider appropriate, during normal office hours.
(8) If a document is published in the manner referred to in paragraph (7)(a)(ii), each relevant authority must, no later than on the same day as that document is so published, publicise on their website details of where that document can be accessed on the website for the joint local plan.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/186/regulation/82 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/town-and-country-planning-local-planning-england-regulations-2026/regulation-82
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.