The Government were clear in their manifesto that housing need in England cannot be met without planning for growth on a larger than local scale. That is why we committed to introducing effective new mechanisms for cross-boundary strategic planning.
In the English devolution White Paper, “Power and partnership: Foundations for growth”, published in December 2024, we reaffirmed our intention to reintroduce mandatory strategic planning through the production of sub-regional spatial development strategies (SDSs) across England.
The Planning and Infrastructure Act, which received Royal Assent in December 2025, contains provisions that place a duty on combined authorities, combined county authorities, upper-tier county councils and unitary authorities to prepare an SDS for their area. The Bill also enables the Government to establish “strategic planning boards" to prepare SDSs on behalf of specified groupings of these authorities. These provisions will be brought into force this summer.
The rollout of SDSs will reintroduce a strategic tier to the planning system in England. SDSs are intended to be high-level spatial frameworks for housing growth and infrastructure investment. They will ensure that sub-regional areas can effectively plan to meet their housing needs; co-ordinate the provision of strategic infrastructure; grow their economies; and improve the environment and climate resilience. They will set the context for local plans which will have to be in “general conformity” with the SDS once it has been adopted.
We remain committed to ensuring universal coverage of up-to-date local plans as quickly as possible. The production of SDSs should not be used as a reason to delay the preparation of local plans.
Mayoral strategic authorities will prepare the SDS for their area. In areas without mayoral strategic authorities, the responsibility for producing SDSs will sit with non-mayoral foundation strategic authorities. Where these do not exist, responsibility will sit with upper tier county councils and unitary authorities who will, in most cases, be required to work together to produce SDSs.
We set out in the English devolution White Paper that we will generally expect these authorities to work together to produce SDSs over “sensible geographies” as defined within it. The Planning and Infrastructure Act sets out a formal mechanism to enable such groups of authorities to work together, namely a strategic planning board. These will operate in a similar way to joint planning committees that have been established to co-ordinate the preparation of joint local plans in some parts of England.
Today, we are launching a consultation on the geography for SDSs. The consultation identifies a number of groupings where we understand that there is a degree of broad agreement about the principle of working together, and in these areas we propose an SDS geography. In other areas where such agreement is tenuous or lacking entirely, we are inviting proposals to help inform final decisions.
Where areas are able to quickly confirm their support for a particular grouping, my officials will look to work with those authorities to agree the terms for a strategic planning board. These will then be subject to statutory consultation. To support SDS production, the Government have identified a funding package. We expect to make some initial payments in March and to confirm the full package in the summer.
Separately, Minister Fahnbulleh has also made a statement to the House, announcing the next step forward in the Government’s English devolution agenda: an invitation from the Secretary of State for all areas in England without an existing devolution agreement to come forward with their neighbours with an expression of interest for a new foundation strategic authority (FSA). In the vast majority of cases, we would expect the geographies for SDSs to align with foundation strategic authorities.
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