What is the planning system, what’s it for and why is it needed?
Last updated: 2 July 2025
The planning system, sometimes called town and country planning or land use planning, is all about managing the development of land and buildings in our towns, cities and countryside. Its purpose is to balance the needs of private individuals, businesses, and the public sector with the impacts that development may have on us and the environment.
Planning should make sure that the right development happens in the right place. It plays an important role in delivering sustainable development, by ensuring that any new development protects the environment while still meeting social and economic needs.
.jpg)
Planning is a fully devolved function of the Welsh Government, meaning that the responsibility for planning matters has been transferred from the UK Government to the Senedd, the Welsh parliament.
Be careful when searching for resources online that they don’t refer to another UK country, as it’s likely there will be differences.
The planning system in the UK, which differs slightly across the four devolved nations, is a plan-led system. In Wales, any new development is guided by planning policy set out in local development plans. When a planning application for a new development is submitted, to be successful it must follow the planning policies for the area.
Large infrastructure projects over a certain size (eg offshore wind developments and power plants over 350 megawatts) are decided by the UK Government through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) process. This is a separate system from town and country planning, which is set out in the Planning Act 2008 and managed by the Planning Inspectorate.
Other large infrastructure projects (eg energy generation projects less than 350 megawatts, all onshore wind projects, airports and railways) are decided by the Welsh Government through the Developments of National Significance (DNS) process.
The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 defines development as:
Operational development – which includes building, engineering or mining operations (but not internal building works)
Change of use – which means a material (significant) change in the use of buildings, for example a barn to a house, and/or land, for example a greenfield site being used for new housing (planning ‘uses’ are classified in the Use Classes Order)
Some types of development, known as permitted development, can be carried out without planning permission.
Your local planning authority (LPA) is responsible for managing the planning process. The LPAs in Wales are the 22 unitary authorities and the three National Park authorities.
The 22 unitary authorities are subdivided into electoral wards, which are further divided into communities. Wards are used to elect local councillors in unitary authorities.
The smallest tier of local government in Wales are community councils, which can also be called town councils. Community and town councillors are elected to community/town councils to represent the interests of the local communities that they serve. These councils must be notified of planning applications that have been submitted in their areas and given the opportunity to comment on them if they wish. However, they do not have the power to make a decision on planning applications.
The National Park authorities also have elected councillors but the process is a bit different. Their elected councillors include councillors drawn from local authorities who have land with the National Park, together with members appointed by the Welsh Government.
To find out who your LPA is, enter your postcode here. You can also view a list of all LPAs in Wales.
The planning system consists of two main elements – plan-making and decision-taking. Both functions are a legal duty of the LPA.
Plan-making is the process of preparing, testing through public consultation and ultimately adopting a development plan containing the all-important planning policies for the area. The development plan that every LPA must produce for its area is called a local development plan. It contains a series of maps and policies setting out what can be built and where, and other matters including how biodiversity will be protected from local development and enhanced in line with national policies and legislation.
Decision-taking is deciding which planning applications received by the LPA for development go ahead in its area. Every valid planning application must be registered, publicised, properly considered against relevant planning policy, and decided in accordance with the development plan, national policies and various procedural requirements.
If a planning application is refused by the LPA, the applicant may appeal that decision. Appeals are dealt with by the Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW), a government agency who deals with planning appeals, Developments of National Significance (DNS) and the examination of local development plans. Planning and appeal decisions may be subject to legal challenge.
To learn more about the different elements of the planning system, take a look at our reference guides on the Wales planning system landing page.