The introduction to the consultation states that housing need in England cannot be met without planning for growth on a larger than local scale, and that it will be necessary to introduce effective new mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning.

This could see the first rise of strategic planning in England following the abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies brought in by the coalition government in 2010.

From a development perspective SDS will identify preferred growth locations, which will provide greater clarity and impetus. In turn, this should be beneficial for landowners with landholdings that have strategic development potential.

A duty placed on local authorities

The plan-led system once included structure plans, regional planning conferences, regional planning guidance and regional spatial strategies but this was dismantled and not replaced by a mandatory requirement for strategic planning.

With the exception of London, most of England is currently not covered by a strategic plan. Therefore, the current system largely depends on individual local planning authorities cooperating with each other on their local plans, to address cross-boundary issues such as building the homes their communities need.

The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 introduced SDS, closely modelled on the system that has been in place in London for over 20 years.

The Act places a duty on combined authorities, combined county authorities, upper-tier county councils and unitary authorities to prepare an SDS for their area. The Act also enables the government to establish strategic planning boards to prepare SDS on behalf of specified groupings of these authorities.

SDS must include policies on the use and development of land that are of strategic importance to the area and can include policies on housing and identify infrastructure requirements.

The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is currently making its way through parliament. 

Through the Bill, the government intends to give strategic development management powers to strategic planning authorities that have elected mayors. These powers will enable them to guide planning applications of potential strategic importance, to ensure that the overall strategy and any policies within the SDS are being implemented.

When introduced, SDS will be part of the overall development plan for an area. Local plans will have to be in general conformity with the relevant SDS, and therefore SDS will be used to guide the determination of planning applications and planning appeals.

SDS will:

• provide a spatial strategy that guides local plans and enables growth
• identify key infrastructure requirements to enable the spatial strategy to be implemented
• identify strategic locations for development and an indication of the scale of development required
• identify areas where protection or restoration of the natural environment is required
• apportion and distribute housing need to the most appropriate locations

SDS could ease pressure on local housing requirements

In the consultation the government states that SDS are not intended to be ‘big local plans’. They cannot be site-specific or allocate/designate particular sites. The site-specific role is preserved for local plans. The government also does not intend to set a limit or range on the size or length of an SDS, but they are expected to be succinct, and not get into detail or locally specific issues.

While infrastructure-led development is important, careful consideration of the phasing and financial viability of infrastructure delivery is inevitable; and this is likely to increase the risk profile of large-scale scheme delivery and thereby require robust yet pragmatic deal structures.

The clarity the SDS provides may reduce speculation and allow more focus and activity in those areas identified for growth, which should be sustainable and promote efficient use of the land. This should also result in diversity of housing types and tenures to ensure the needs of the area’s population are catered for.

Most mayoral strategic authorities will prepare an SDS for their area. In areas without mayoral strategic authorities, the responsibility for producing SDS will sit with non-mayoral foundation strategic authorities or, where they do not exist, it will sit with upper-tier county councils and unitary authorities. These authorities are generally expected to work together to produce SDS over ‘sensible geographies’ via strategic planning boards. The English Devolution White Paper sets out criteria for sensible geographies.

For areas undergoing local government reorganisation which do not have a devolution agreement, the duty to prepare an SDS will shift from the current county councils and unitary authorities to the new unitary authorities. In the main, new strategic planning boards will be established for April 2028.

Strategic planning authorities will be able to commence work formally on an SDS once secondary legislation is in place later in 2026.

A likely key aspect of SDS is the ability to identify housing requirements and strategic locations for development, which local plans must then be in conformity with. This could take away the heat over local housing requirements often encountered under the current system and ensure that unmet housing need does not dissipate through a lack of co-operation across authority boundaries.

This is another step on the road towards delivery of 1.5 million new homes in England albeit one that looks set to have limited effect during this parliamentary term.

Government has asked for responses to the consultation by 26 March 2026.

Potential Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) Geographies

Further information

Contact David Bainbridge or Abigail Jones