England’s planning system is going through one of its most significant periods of change in decades. Between the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB) and the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, the role of local authorities, combined authorities, and developers is being reshaped.
To unpack what’s happening, LandTech’s Head of Research, Harry Quartermain, spoke with Catriona Riddell, a leading strategic planning consultant with decades of experience across regional, sub-regional, and local planning. From the abolition of regional spatial strategies to today’s debates about mayoral powers, Catriona offers perspective on how we got here - and where we’re heading next.
From Structure Plans to Today
Catriona began her career working on structure plans and later on Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS), which guided planning across wide areas until their abolition in 2010. Since then, she has advised groups of councils experimenting with non-statutory frameworks and joint plans.
“The duty to cooperate simply didn’t work,” she explains. “It left authorities unable to properly deal with cross-boundary issues like housing or Green Belt reviews.” That failure, she argues, is why strategic planning is back on the agenda.
Why Strategic Planning Again?
The renewed focus comes partly from recognition that London’s Spatial Development Strategy - the London Plan - has provided consistency and certainty that other regions lack. Research commissioned by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) reinforced this, showing overwhelming support for a statutory system rather than voluntary collaboration.
But this won’t be a return to RSS. Instead, the new approach will be sub-regional, designed to capture local character and focus only on genuinely strategic issues. Plans will be shorter, digital, and largely built around the geography of new devolved authorities.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill (PIB) is the government’s attempt to restore confidence in a plan-led system.
“The idea,” says Catriona, “is to make more decisions upstream, through clear strategies, so that downstream development management becomes quicker and less confrontational.”
Key provisions include:
- Streamlining committees and planning fees.
- Establishing Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs) at a sub-regional scale.
- Aligning planning with infrastructure priorities.
Environmental measures are also embedded, though Catriona warns that their complexity, and the new Secretary of State’s role in implementation, could delay progress.
Spatial Development Strategic: What They Are (And Aren't)
A common misconception is that SDSs will be just ‘big local plans.’ Not so, says Catriona.
“They won’t allocate individual sites or set out detailed development management policies. That remains the job of local plans and, in future, national decision-making policies (NDMPs).”
Instead, SDSs will:
- Identify growth areas and strategic infrastructure priorities.
- Guide large-scale investment decisions.
- Provide the framework within which local plans can narrow their focus to site allocations and design codes.
This division of labour, she argues, could cut average local plan preparation from 7 years to the government’s target of 30 months.
Towards a National Spatial Framework?
If SDSs are adopted across England, could they eventually add up to a national spatial framework?
Catriona thinks so: “It’s not government policy yet, but aggregating these strategies could give us the national view we’ve lacked, particularly for energy, transport, and new towns.”
For now, though, that ambition is likely to remain out of reach this parliamentary term.
Democracy and Devolution
One criticism of strategic planning is the risk of a democratic deficit if local areas feel decisions are being imposed.
Catriona acknowledges the concern, but highlights how the Devolution Bill is designed to align strategic planning with democratic structures. The ambition is to move towards mayoral strategic authorities across England, with geography tied to devolution deals.
Where mayors are absent, interim arrangements, such as strategic planning boards in counties, will provide governance. “It’s messy,” she admits, “but the endgame is a more consistent system where every area has access to the same powers and funding.”
What the Devolution Bill Does
The Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill has two main pillars:
- Restructuring local government - replacing two-tier areas with unitary councils for efficiency.
- Expanding devolution - rolling out mayoral combined authorities with stronger funding and planning powers.
For Catriona, the most transformational aspect is funding. “Single pots, council tax precepts, and strategic Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) will give mayors the tools to unlock big, complex sites that have stalled for years.”
Mayors will also gain significant planning powers:
- Calling in strategic applications.
- Establishing Mayoral Development Orders without the need to consult the relevant local planning authority
- Establishing Mayoral Development Corporations with broader powers, including on greenfield and new towns.
- Convening utilities and agencies early to resolve infrastructure constraints.
- A new duty to collaborate with neighbouring mayors, intended to succeed where the duty to cooperate failed.
Short-Term Fixes and Developer Uncertainty
While legislation takes shape, councils and developers face significant uncertainty:
- Councils are preoccupied with restructuring, leaving little capacity for long-term planning.
- Developers, meanwhile, are chasing quick permissions in the absence of updated plans.
The government is also turning to short-term fixes like grey belt releases, brownfield passports, and new town announcements. Homes England is expanding its Homes Accelerator programme to support delivery.
But uncertainty remains. Local plans are in limbo pending new regulations. Ministerial interventions are increasing for authorities missing deadlines. Until guidance on the 30-month timetable is finalised, confidence will be hard to restore.
So What Should People Do Now?
For planners, councillors, and communities, preparation is key:
- Councils should think about how restructuring can support more resilient planning services.
- Developers need to plan for both short-term uncertainty and longer-term opportunities through SDSs.
- Communities should engage early, holding leaders accountable to ensure consultation is meaningful and not tokenistic.
Above all, everyone in the system should prepare for a shift where strategic planning becomes the norm again, this time aligned with devolved powers and supported by digital tools and data.
Conclusion
The return of statutory strategic planning marks a turning point. For Catriona Riddell, the significance is clear:
“We’ve tried leaving it to voluntary cooperation, and it didn’t work. This is about giving areas the tools, funding, and governance to plan for the future, not just for housing, but for infrastructure, environment, and communities. It won’t be smooth, but it’s necessary.”
As the twin bills progress, the message for all stakeholders is the same: strategic planning is back.
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