The UK government has opened a consultation on how new planning powers for mayors of strategic authorities should operate in England. Published on 24 August 2026, the consultation concerns implementation of provisions in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026.
The proposals are not yet operative secondary legislation. The consultation is intended to shape the detailed rules, and responses are open until 11:59 pm on 5 October 2026.
What powers are being considered?
The consultation covers four principal areas:
- mayoral involvement in planning applications considered potentially strategically important;
- Mayoral Development Orders;
- a Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy outside London; and
- changes to secondary legislation governing Local Development Orders.
The strategic-application proposals are principally aimed at mayors outside London, although the consultation also considers changes to the existing London approach.
Who may be affected?
The proposals may affect strategic authorities, local planning authorities, developers, registered providers, landowners and communities. They could alter which planning applications receive mayoral oversight and how mayors can coordinate development across authority boundaries.
Mayoral Development Orders and Local Development Orders can create a route for granting planning permission for specified development within a defined area. The consultation therefore matters to organisations considering major housing, regeneration or infrastructure projects.
A Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy could also affect how development contributes towards strategic infrastructure outside London. The eventual legal and financial impact will depend on the secondary legislation adopted after consultation.
What should organisations do now?
Interested organisations should review the proposed categories of strategically important applications and consider whether the thresholds capture appropriate projects. Local authorities and developers may also wish to assess how the proposals interact with existing decision-making timetables, local plans and infrastructure funding arrangements.
Any response should distinguish between the powers already established by the 2026 Act and the implementation choices on which the government is now consulting. Until regulations are made, the consultation proposals should not be treated as final law.