A local-plan gateway does not make a policy adopted

The current guide is not a new plan approval

The Planning Inspectorate first published its procedural guide for the new local-plan gateways on 18 June 2026. Its 26 August update corrected minor typographical errors, so that date should not be read as a new approval or a substantive change to a plan. [1]

The new plan-making regulations have been in force since 25 March 2026. GOV.UK maintains separate guidance for plans using the new and legacy systems, which means a plan's actual route must be identified before interpreting a gateway label. [3]

What the three gateways actually do

Gateway 1 is the local planning authority's early self-assessment. At Gateway 2, an Inspector acting as an assessor gives observations and advice during preparation, with the aim of identifying potential soundness issues before the plan reaches its final consultation and submission stages. [1]

The authority must publish the Gateway 2 report and the material submitted to the assessor as soon as reasonably practicable. That record can show the issues raised, the evidence available at that stage and the work the authority expected to do next. [1]

Gateway 3 is a stop-or-go check of prescribed requirements and practical readiness. A successful plan must then be submitted for independent examination, where soundness is considered. Passing the gateway is therefore not adoption and is not a finding that every proposed policy is sound. [1]

Start with the policy named in the refusal

The starting point remains the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The 2026 National Planning Policy Framework is itself a material consideration, but an emerging local plan is not the same thing as an adopted development-plan document. [2]

If a refusal cites an emerging policy, record the exact policy number, wording and plan version used by the council. A later draft, gateway report or submission version may not be the document that informed the decision. [2]

Apply three checks to the emerging policy

Policy DM4 of the current Framework says relevant emerging policies may be given weight according to three matters. It does not attach an automatic weight to a gateway or to the plan as a whole. [2]

• Stage: the more advanced the plan's preparation, the greater the weight that may be given. [2]

• Objections: the less significant the unresolved objections to the relevant policy, the greater the weight that may be given. [2]

• National policy: closer compliance with the Framework's plan-making policies can support greater weight. [2]

If the refusal says the proposal is premature

The current Framework says a proposal should not be refused as premature outside limited circumstances. Both parts of its test must be present: the proposal must be so substantial, or its cumulative effect with other proposals so significant, that granting permission would undermine plan-making by predetermining decisions about scale, location or phasing that are central to the emerging plan; and the emerging plan must be advanced but not yet formally part of the development plan. [2]

The Framework says a plan is unlikely to be advanced if it has not yet been submitted for examination. It also says a prematurity refusal reason should explain how granting permission would prejudice the plan-making process. These are checks on the stated reason, not a prediction about an appeal. [2]

Build a plan-status record

Use the council's official local-plan pages to build two separate records: the adopted documents in force for the site and the emerging plan material relevant on the decision date. Record later changes separately so they are not mistaken for material available when the application was decided. [1] [3]

• Record the local-plan timetable, consultation version and the date of each relevant stage. [1]

• Read the Gateway 2 report and inputs, any Gateway 3 report and completion statement, and the later examination library where those documents exist. [1]

• For the policy cited in the refusal, note unresolved objections, later changes and the evidence given for its weight. Keep those facts separate from the merits of the proposal itself. [2] Research planning appeal decisions

What a gateway cannot tell you

The Planning Inspectorate describes its guide as high-level guidance without statutory status and says procedures may be adapted. A gateway report can document progress and issues, but it cannot decide whether an individual application or appeal should succeed. [1]