Prior + Partners: How local leaders can capitalise on a new era of strategic planning

Published on

19 December 2025

Prior + Partners: How local leaders can capitalise on a new era of strategic planning

Over the past decade, England's planning system has struggled to facilitate growth at the scale required by our communities. However, this is set to change with the introduction of Spatial Development Strategies, which promise to become the most influential instrument for driving growth and investment in my working career.

A plan-led system in name only?

Let’s be honest: despite working within what should be a ‘plan-led’ system, we are operating within a system largely devoid of plans. Only about 30% of England is covered by an up-to-date Local Plan. We haven’t had regional plans for 14 years, and there’s never been a national spatial strategy. What we’ve been doing is not ‘planning’, but ‘reacting’-choosing the least-worst options rather than planning positively for the future. Planning is critical and the absence of strategic planning is symptomatic of a wider level of disorganisation, and it’s no surprise that we find ourselves in a poly-crisis. SDS represents a chance to change that narrative and restore confidence in a genuinely plan-led system and attract the growth and investment communities need.

Where are we now—and why do SDSs matter?

With the Planning & Infrastructure Act now law and a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) providing clarity on strategic planning, 2026 will mark the start of a new era. Spatial Development Strategies (SDS) will give authorities the tools to plan across boundaries, align infrastructure with housing, and crucially unlock investment for healthier, more resilient places.

"For too long, planning has been fragmented, leaving authorities to negotiate cross-boundary issues through the Duty to Co-operate, often with limited success. A return to strategic planning changes that."

Why SDSs matter

At the workshop we led at the recent CCN Annual Conference, we explored why SDSs are more than a technical requirement - they are a strategic opportunity. For too long, planning has been fragmented, leaving authorities to negotiate cross-boundary issues through the Duty to Co-operate, often with limited success. A return to strategic planning changes that. It introduces a statutory tier of planning that enables authorities to:

Plan strategically at scale – coordinating housing, transport, and economic growth across wider geographies.
Unlock investment – providing certainty for developers, infrastructure providers, and importantly helping to secure government and private sector funding. SDSs will act as spatial investment frameworks, giving clarity and confidence to investors about where and how growth will happen.
Embed health and sustainability – aligning with emerging duties on climate and wellbeing, reducing the need for and cost of health infrastructure and services through upstream investment in health-promoting places and neighbourhoods.

For CEOs and leaders focused on LGR and devolution, SDSs will offer a positive and practical lever: they will help authorities make the case for infrastructure funding, attract private investment, and demonstrate readiness for new powers and responsibilities.

The Legislative foundations

The Planning & Infrastructure Act which is now law will make SDSs a legal requirement for strategic authorities. These strategies will sit alongside Local Plans as part of the statutory development plan, shaping housing distribution, transport priorities, and investment frameworks. Secondary legislation and detailed guidance are expected from spring 2026, alongside confirmation of strategic authority geographic boundaries.

Policy clarity from the draft NPPF

The new draft NPPF has just landed, and it expands on the new legislation by outlining possible SDS content and adoption processes. SDSs will provide 20+ year visions for sustainable growth, identifying broad areas for new settlements and urban expansion. They define the spatial scope of Local Growth Plans, the National Industrial Strategy, and Green Belt boundaries, including proposed changes, and set out the strategic infrastructure required to support sustainable development.

What SDS can deliver SDSs will not be “a big Local Plan.” They will be a high-level, vision-led and strategic framework that:

Identifies broad locations for growth rather than site-specific allocations.
Aligns strategic infrastructure, including roads, utilities, digital connectivity, with housing and employment.
Provides a platform for health and wellbeing, embedding principles like those in Herts Healthy and Safe Places Framework.
Most importantly for leaders, SDSs provide a credible, evidence-based framework for investment—making it easier to secure funding from government and the private sector, and to demonstrate value for money.

Why 2026 is the year to act

With the legislative and policy fundamentals in place by early 2026, authorities that start preparing now will be best positioned to lead and achieve government’s goals of achieving ‘universal coverage’ by 2029 and potentially unlock financial support. The Local Government Association and the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) have recently published SDS readiness guidance, urging councils to focus on “foundations-first” actions: evidence audits, engagement strategies, and governance models. Waiting for every detail is risky-momentum matters.

SDSs will offer responsible authorities a once-in-a-generation chance to shape growth positively-unlocking investment, improving resilience, and delivering healthier communities. The question is not whether SDS will happen, but how quickly authorities can seize the opportunity. For leaders focused on LGR and devolution, SDSs are the tool that can help turn strategic ambition into funded, deliverable outcome.