Emerging Draft Local Plan
Regulation 19 – Focused Policies Consultation (2025)
Following the previous Regulation 19 Consultation in autumn and winter of 2024, we are undertaking a second Regulation 19 consultation - focused specifically on three policies, five site allocations and several evidence documents - to address issues of soundness raised by stakeholders.
This consultation will be open for six weeks, from the 20th June 2025 to 1st August 2025 and, during that time, we are inviting representations in accordance with Regulation 19 of the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) Regulations 2012.
The council carried out a consultation on the full Local Plan in Autumn/Winter of 2024. In response to representations received as part of that consultation, the council made changes to several policies and site allocations to ensure that the policies can be found ‘sound’ at examination. The council is now undertaking a second Regulation 19 consultation, focused specifically on three policies and five site allocations (and the evidence supporting them), before submitting the draft Local Plan for examination to the Secretary of State.
You are invited to submit your representations during the consultation period. During the consultation period, we will be holding several public events for people to gain more information about the changes and why we’re making them. For further details of the consultation and how to get involved please visit our Let’s Talk page.
Following this consultation, we will submit the full consolidated Local Plan to the Secretary of State for examination alongside all responses from the first Regulation 19 consultation in 2024 and this consultation. If you submitted a response to the first Regulation 19 last year, you do not need to re-submit that response as part of this consultation. The purpose of this consultation is to address issues of soundness with the three policies and five site allocations contained in the consultation document, so please limit your responses accordingly.
What is the Local Plan and why are we reviewing it?
As the council’s most important planning document, the Local Plan is used to guide decisions on planning applications in the borough. This means that if someone wants to develop a new building or change its use, they should make sure it follows the policies in the Local Plan. The current Local Plan was adopted in January 2020 and a number of the objectives, policies and guidance contained within this plan could now be considered out-of-date as national and regional guidance is progressively updated. Once adopted, this new plan will replace the currently adopted plan which plans until 2031.
What is the ‘Regulation-19’ Plan and consultation?
The Regulation-19 version is the final draft of the Plan that the council intends to submit to the Secretary of State for independent examination, also known as the 'Proposed Submission Version’. The publication of a proposed submission version of the draft local plan is a statutory stage within the plan-making process. The purpose of this stage of the plan-making process (Regulation-19) is to invite representations on whether the document is ‘sound’ and ‘legally compliant’. Further detail on what this means is as follows.
At this stage of the plan making process, in accordance with national guidance, consultation responses should focus on legal and procedural compliance, and the soundness of the Local Plan.
Legal requirements
To fulfil the legal requirements required at this stage of plan-making the plan should have been:
- prepared in accordance with our latest local development scheme accompanied by a sustainability appraisal and habitat regulations assessment
- subject to consultation carried out in accordance with our Statement of Community Involvement compliant with all relevant legislation including the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (PCPA) and the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2012
- in general conformity with the London Plan
- we should also have worked collaboratively with neighbouring authorities and prescribed bodies on strat egic and cross boundary matters, to fulfil the obligation known as the ‘duty to cooperate’. Details of how we have done this are set out in our Duty to Cooperate Statement.
Soundness
There are four tests of soundness which require the Local Plan to be:
Positively Prepared
Providing a strategy which, as a minimum, seeks to meet the borough’s objectively assessed needs; and is informed by agreements with other authorities, so that unmet need from neighbouring areas is accommodated where it is practical to do so and is consistent with achieving sustainable
development;
Justified
An appropriate strategy, taking into account the reasonable alternatives, and based on proportionate evidence.
Effective
Deliverable over the plan period, and based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic matters that have been dealt with rather than deferred, as evidenced by the statement of common ground; and
Consistent with National Policy
Enabling the delivery of sustainable development in accordance with the policies in this Framework and other statements of national planning policy, where relevant.
Where can I view the plan?
All information can be found on our Let's Talk page which will allow you to view the new Local Plan and its supporting documents. Hard copies of the new Local Plan will be available for inspection at the Tower Hamlets Town Hall 160 Whitechapel Rd, London E1 1BJ and all Tower Hamlets Idea Stores and libraries. The statement of fact sets out full details on where information can be viewed.
Submitting representations on the Draft Plan
The consultation will run between Friday 20 June to Friday 01 August 2025. The statement of procedure sets out full details on the process that should be followed to submit your representation.
Visit the Let's Talk page to review the draft Local Plan, supporting documents and submit your representation online.
If you have submitted a response to the previous Regulation 19 consultation, you do not need to re-submit that response; however, if you wish to participate in hearings, you must either have submitted a response to the previous Regulation 19 consultation or submit a representation as part of this consultation.
Talk to us
We will be holding a series of in person and virtual events to help explain the requirements of this consultation. All information on these online and in-person events can be found on our Let's Talk page. You can also contact us at localplan@towerhamlets.gov.uk if you require further information.
Next steps
Following this stage of the Local Plan, we anticipate submitting the plan to the Secretary of State (SoS) in early 2026. The SoS will then appoint an independent planning inspector who will examine the Plan and make recommendations for any modifications that are required before it can be found sound and adopted. We are currently expecting for the Local Plan to be adopted in late 2026 or early 2027, but this will depend on the length of the examination and the availability of planning inspectors to carry out the examination. Once the Local Plan has gone through the process of examination and is adopted, the Local Plan will replace the current Local Plan which was adopted in 2020.
Early engagement - Early 2023
You're helping us understand the issues we need to tackle and finalise the vision and objectives.
Regulation 18 - Autumn/Winter 2023
We'll ask for your thoughts on the options we've identified to tackle the issues, along with potential locations for future development.
Regulation 19 – Autumn/Winter 2024
We'll ask you for your thoughts on our proposed plan
Regulation 19 (Focused consultation) – Summer 2025 (current stage) ⬅️
We'll ask you for your thoughts on three policies and five site allocations (and the evidence supporting them).
Plan submitted - early 2026
The plan will be submitted to the Secretary of State
Examination - 2026
An independent planning inspector will examine the plan, evidence and the comments made, to test if it is 'sound'.
Adoption - late 2026 or early 2027
The plan will be adopted and used to inform decisions on planning applications