Emerging Draft Local Plan

The council ran a second Regulation 19 consultation from 20 June to 1 August 2025. This consultation looked at only three policies, five site proposals and some supporting evidence documents to fix issues raised by stakeholders about whether the plan was sound. Prior to this, the council carried out a consultation (under Regulation 19) on the full Local Plan in Autumn/Winter of 2024. Both consultations have now closed.

If Full Council approves, both parts of the draft Local Plan will be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate for independent examination in late 2025 or early 2026, along with all 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 A number of the objectives, policies and guidance in this plan are now considered out-of-date as national and regional guidance has been updated.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 version of the plan

The council has created a new Local Plan for the borough and consulted on it. This plan is at an advanced stage (called Regulation 19), but its text and policies are still in draft form. If Full Council approves it, the two documents that make up the proposed submission draft will be sent to the Planning Inspectorate for independent review later this year or 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).

A report from the Autumn 2024 consultation shows the level and type of objections to the draft policies.

Another report from the Summer 2025 consultation will be prepared when the plan is submitted, showing any remaining objections.

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 recent consultation documents?

Read the Local Plan.

You can also contact us at localplan@towerhamlets.gov.uk if you require further information.

Submitting representations on the Draft Plan

Consultation on the draft local plan has now ended and the Council is not accepting any further submission.

Next steps

After this stage of the Local Plan, we expect to submit it to the Secretary of State in late 2025 or early 2026. The Secretary of State will 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.

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.