SDS process and timetable

Before the duty is live

MHCLG listed preparatory work that is allowed before commencement:

• building the team and reading the Act and NPPF
• engaging local planning authorities, neighbouring SDS areas and infrastructure providers
• understanding local-plan timetables
• a project plan and draft SDS timetable
• collating existing evidence and commissioning gaps
• links to any local growth plan

That work may have to be adjusted if the final geography changes.

Formal sequence

The inserted 2004 Act sections and MHCLG's description give this order:

1. Timetable — the authority must prepare and maintain an SDS timetable (sections 12E–12F).
2. Draft — prepare a draft SDS (section 12G) that conforms to section 12D.
3. Consultation and representations — at least one statutory round (section 12H).
4. Change and re-consult if needed, up to submission.
5. Submission to the Secretary of State.
6. Independent examination against procedure and the PM14 tests.
7. Adoption in the submitted form, plus any directed modifications.
8. Monitoring, then start a replacement or alteration.

After submission, withdrawal is only available if the SDS fails examination, the Secretary of State directs withdrawal, or the authority votes against adoption.

Period and review

Rule	Source	What it says
Strategy period	NPPF PM1	At least 25 years, including housing and other strategic-use apportionment
Start a replacement	NPPF PM1(2)(i)	No later than seven years after adoption
Start earlier	NPPF PM1(2)(i)	If the SDS is substantially inconsistent with current national policy; if planned infrastructure will significantly affect land use and was not considered; or if new evidence shows significant change in needs, opportunities or constraints

The February 2026 MHCLG paper still said "at least 20 years". That figure was overtaken by the August 2026 NPPF.

How this sits next to local plans

New-style local plans run on a 30-month timetable from the Gateway 1 self-assessment (PM2). They must support delivery of the SDS. Their own review cycle is five years, or earlier if an SDS has significantly increased the housing requirement.

If you are a resident, the practical implication is that there are two windows: the SDS (pattern and numbers) and the local plan (sites). Missing the first does not stop you using the second, but the second is constrained by general conformity.