SDS vs local plan

Side by side

	Spatial Development Strategy	Local plan
Scale	Sub-region / strategy area	Local planning authority
Job	Strategic policies for land of strategic importance	Vision, allocations, designations, local policy
Sites	Must not specify particular sites	Allocates sites and can set site requirements
Housing	May set amount and distribution, including affordable housing	Delivers the apportioned need through sites
Period	At least 25 years (NPPF PM1)	At least 10 years from adoption (NPPF PM2)
Review	Start a replacement no later than 7 years after adoption	Start the next plan no later than 5 years after adoption
Examination	PM14 tests: positive, appropriate, effective, consistent with national policy	PM15 tests, plus conformity with any adopted SDS

What moves up to the SDS

From the Act and PM1, these are SDS-scale matters:

• apportionment of objectively assessed housing need (and other strategic uses) to local planning authorities
• broad locations for growth and regeneration, including new settlements, major urban extensions and major cross-boundary development
• strategic infrastructure (transport, social infrastructure, waste, utilities, water, flood risk) and alignment with the 10 Year Infrastructure Strategy
• a spatial expression of strategic elements of Local Growth Plans and the Industrial Strategy
• the general extent of Green Belt, and broad locations where local plans may need to consider changes
• broad locations for nature conservation and habitat work, and strategic historic-environment issues

What stays local

The local plan still:

• allocates land, with a site reference, use, indicative capacity and delivery window
• sets the detailed spatial strategy and policies for a period of at least ten years
• handles development-management detail and precise boundaries
• includes other policies only where they support allocated sites or address particular local issues (PM2)

MHCLG's February 2026 paper puts the same split in one sentence: SDSs identify broad locations; local plans allocate sites and must be in general conformity with the SDS once it is adopted.

Why the order matters

If you want to influence whether an area is treated as a broad location for growth, the SDS is the document. If you want to influence which field is allocated, that is the local plan — after the SDS has set the frame.

PM2 also says a local plan should be prepared earlier than the five-year cycle where the area's housing requirement has significantly increased following adoption of an SDS.