Adopted Plan

When a local plan or local development document is made final and it is usually voted upon by the full council, overseeing the Local Planning Authority (LPA) it is said to be adopted. This could of course apply to any other policy document issued by the local authority or indeed public body. Once adopted the policy or plan will form the basis of local decision making. More weight is given the plan or document the closer it gets to adoption. 

In the case of a local plan, this is a long procedure which might take a number of years. The flowchart below shows the stages towards the local plan being adopted.

This image is from ‘Plain English guide to the Planning System’ published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in January 2015. Reproduced under the Open Government Licence

The Local Plan is covered elsewhere on Planning Geek. Each local planning authority (LPA) is required to have one, but how up to date they are is another matter!

Check out our glossary for many more acronyms and phrases in the world of property

Page Updated: 19th February 2023