We want to make planning law simpler, clearer and easier to understand.
Contents
Background
Planning law in Wales is currently hard to understand and navigate.
It is mainly based on laws passed by the UK Parliament that are decades old and has been significantly changed over time. These changes have made legislation fragmented, complicated and mostly only available in English.
Planning law in Wales is different from the law in England. This can make it harder for people to know which rules apply.
We asked the Law Commission to review Welsh planning law. Their report, Planning Law in Wales, found that the law needs urgent work to make it simpler and more consistent. We published an interim response and detailed response to their report.
We know it’s important for everyone using or working in the planning system to clearly understand the law that applies to them. Our Future of Welsh Law programme aims to bring planning law together and make it easier to access and use.
Purpose of the Bills
The Planning (Wales) Bill consolidates planning legislation in Wales.
Consolidation:
- brings together the main planning Acts and some subordinate legislation
- creates a single bilingual Act
- modernises the structure and wording of the law to make it easier to understand and use.
Although the structure and wording of the law will change, its legal effect will remain unchanged. Consolidation is a technical process to improve clarity, not to change policy or reform planning law.
The Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Bill helps implement the main Bill. It does this through:
- transitional and savings provisions
- making the necessary amendments and repeals to existing legislation
Current progress
The Planning (Wales) Bill, Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Bill and associated documents were introduced to the Senedd for their scrutiny on 15 September 2025.
The Bills are supported by an explanatory memorandum. This includes:
- Explanatory notes: to help readers understand the Bills. They do not provide a full description of everything the Bills contains.
- Drafters’ notes: explains decisions taken in the drafting of the legislation.
- Tables of origins: explain the legislative source of provisions in the Bills.
- Tables of destinations: explain where provisions in the existing legislation now sit in the Bills.
Following this detailed scrutiny, the Senedd approved both Bills on 10 March 2026.
The Bills and associated supporting documents can be accessed on the Senedd website, with more information on how the Bills were scrutinised:
Next steps
Now the Bills have been approved by the Senedd, a letter sent to stakeholders from the Chief Planner on 11 March 2026 sets out an update on the next steps for them to become Acts of the Senedd and for their implementation.
The Acts and their supporting information will be made available on Legislation.gov.uk shortly after receiving Royal Assent.