Emerging Draft Local Plan

The council is currently preparing a new Local Plan that will guide development in the borough until 2038.

Initial works on the plan, which involved gathering data on the issues that the plan should address, took place in 2022 and early 2023.

Next came the first stage of preparing the plan, called the Regulation 18 consultation, which took place in winter 2023. This was when we asked the public for their views on the draft vision, objectives and the detailed wording of the policies.

The council then carried out a consultation (under Regulation 19) on the full Local Plan on the plan’s soundness for Examination in Autumn/Winter of 2024.

We then undertook a second ‘focused’ Regulation 19 consultation from 20 June 2025 to 1 August 2025.

This consultation looked at only three policies, five site proposals and some supporting evidence documents to address issues raised by stakeholders about whether the plan was sound.

A consolidated draft proposed submission Local Plan containing both sets of policies from the Regulation 19 consultations, will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination in early 2026. This will include comments from the two Regulation 19 consultations.

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. A number of the objectives, policies and guidance in this plan are now considered out-of-date as national and regional guidance has been updated. Once adopted, this new plan will replace the currently adopted plan which runs until 2031.

Weight given to the proposed submission Local Plan

The council has created a new Local Plan for the borough and consulted on it. This plan is at an advanced stage but its text and policies are still in draft form. 

The draft proposed submission Local Plan will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination in early 2026.

All comments from the two Regulation 19 consultations (Autumn 2024 and Summer 2025) will also be sent to the Inspectorate. After the public examination, there will be another consultation on any major changes recommended by the inspector. Finally, the inspector will issue a report. If the report says the plan is sound, the council can adopt it subject to Full Council approval.

The importance given to policies in the draft Local Plan is based on national guidance. This guidance says the weight depends on three things:

1. how far along the plan is in its preparation
2. whether there are unresolved objections to the policies
3. how closely the draft policies match national planning policies (NPPF).

Access all documents relating to the draft local plan.

Until the new Local Plan is officially adopted, the current Tower Hamlets Local Plan (2020) and the London Plan (2021) remain the main documents used to decide planning applications. In some areas, the London Legacy Development Corporation Local Plan (2020) also applies.

Where can I view the draft Local Plan and consultation documents?

2025

View the draft Local Plan - focused policies prepared for submission, which was previously consulted on during our focused Regulation 19 (2025).

2024

View the draft Local Plan prepared for submission, which was previously consulted on during our Regulation 19 (2024).

Evidence base documents

View all the evidence base documents.

Next steps

We expect to submit the draft submission version Local Plan to the Secretary of State in early 2026. The Secretary of State will then appoint an independent planning inspector to review the plan and suggest any changes needed before it can be approved and adopted.

We currently expect the plan to be adopted in late 2026 or early 2027, but this depends on how long the examination takes and the availability of inspectors.

Once the plan has been examined and adopted, it will replace the current Local Plan from 2020.

Emerging Local Plan: Key stages

Early engagement - Early 2023

You helped us understand the issues we needed to tackle and finalise the vision and objectives.

Regulation 18 - Autumn/Winter 2023

We asked for your thoughts on the options we identified to tackle the issues, along with potential locations for future development.

Regulation 19 – Autumn/Winter 2024

We asked you for your thoughts on our proposed plan.

Regulation 19 (Focused consultation) – Summer 2025

We asked 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.