Policy and strategy

Planning (Wales) Act 2015

An overview of Planning (Wales) Act 2015, its passage through the Senedd and subordinate legislation.

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First published:
29 January 2024
Last updated:

Contents

Overview

The Planning (Wales) Act 2015 (‘the Act’) includes provision to:

  • Strengthen the plan-led approach to planning by introducing a new legal framework for the Welsh Ministers to prepare a national land use plan, known as the National Development Framework for Wales. The Framework sets out national land use priorities and infrastructure requirements for Wales.
  • Produce strategic development plans on an area basis, to tackle larger-than-local cross-boundary issues, such as housing supply and areas for economic growth and regeneration.
  • Carry out pre-application consultation, and to require local planning authorities to provide pre-application services.
  • Require planning applications for nationally significant projects to be made to the Welsh Ministers. Applicants for planning permission will also be able to apply to the Welsh Ministers for planning permission where a local planning authority is deemed to be poorly performing.
  • Reform the development management system to streamline procedures, to ensure that applications are dealt with promptly, providing certainty for developers and communities.
  • Improve enforcement and appeal procedures. Changes are also made in relation to the recovery of costs for parties involved in planning cases.
  • Make changes in relation to applications to register town and village greens.

The Explanatory Notes to the Act provide detailed commentary on the various provisions.

Read the full Act:

Coming into force

Part 1 and sections 56 to 59 come into force on 6 July 2015, which is the day the Act received Royal Assent, in accordance with section 58(1).

Section 55 and Parts 3 to 8 of the Act came into force at the end of the two-month period beginning on the day the Act received Royal Assent, in accordance with section 58(2). 

The remaining provisions of the Act come into force on a day appointed by the Welsh Ministers by order, subject to the conditions in section 58(4).

The following orders have been made:

Subordinate legislation made under the Act

Any subordinate legislation made under the 2015 Act will be added when that subordinate legislation is made.

Consideration of the legislation by the Senedd

The Bill was introduced on 6 October 2014 by Carl Sargeant AM, who was the Minister for Natural Resources at the time. The Bill was passed by the Senedd (known then as the National Assembly for Wales) on 19 May 2015:

More information about the Bill and its passage through the Senedd on senedd.wales.

An Explanatory Memorandum was originally prepared for consideration by the Senedd alongside the Bill. This has now been revised and updated to reflect the final form of the Act.

The Act received Royal Assent on 6 July 2015.

First published

29 January 2024

Last updated

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