UK Act of Parliament 2004 United Kingdom

Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004

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At a glance

Enforced by

Planning Inspectorate

What's here

34 compliance obligations, 1 practical guide

Penalty landscape

2 of 34 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 32 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Any Person 1

Plus 33 non-business duties on Crown ministers, regulators, local authorities or tribunals — shown collapsed under each section below.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Supporting — topic alignment

1 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1 — Regional functions

Browse 13 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.004

Delegation of RPB functions to regional development agencies

Part 1A — Strategic plan-making

s.012

Preparation of draft spatial development strategy

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Strategic planning authority must prepare draft spatial development strategy Local authority
s.012

Consultation and representations

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Strategic planning authorities must consult on draft spatial strategies Local authority
s.012

Public examination

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Strategic planning authority must hold a public examination of draft strategies Local authority
s.012

Adoption of spatial development strategy

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Strategic planning authority must adopt and publish spatial strategies Local authority
Browse 20 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.012

Spatial development strategy to be produced by strategic planning authorities

s.012

Strategic planning boards

s.012

Regulations about strategic planning boards

s.012

Contents of spatial development strategy

s.012

Timetable for preparing spatial development strategy

s.012

Spatial development strategy timetable: further provision

s.012

Withdrawal before adoption

s.012

Submission to Secretary of State before adoption

s.012

Review and monitoring

s.012

Alterations

s.012

Replacement

s.012

Powers where strategic planning authority is failing etc

s.012

Power to approve strategy where adoption resolution not passed

s.012

Liability for Secretary of State’s costs of intervention

s.012

Temporary direction pending possible use of intervention powers

s.012

Supplementary etc provision in connection with regulations about strategic planning boards

s.012

Regulations

s.012

Directions

s.012

Meaning of “spatial development strategy” etc

s.012

Interpretation

Part 2 — Local development

s.013

Survey of area

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local planning authorities must survey and review their areas Local authority
s.015

Local development scheme

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local planning authorities must maintain and publish a local development scheme Local authority
s.021

Intervention by Secretary of State

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State may intervene in local development plans Crown / Minister / Government department
s.024

Conformity with regional strategy

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must ensure development plans align with regional strategy Local authority
s.034

Guidance

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must issue guidance on housing for elderly and disabled Crown / Minister / Government department
s.035

Authorities monitoring reports

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local planning authorities must publish annual monitoring reports Local authority
s.036

Regulations and standards

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local planning authorities must follow national data standards Local authority
Browse 23 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.014

Register of land

s.021

Temporary direction pending possible use of intervention powers

s.027

Default powers exercisable by Mayor of London , combined authority , combined county authority or county council

s.028

Power to direct preparation of joint development plan documents

s.028

Application of Part to joint development plan documents

s.028

Modification or withdrawal of direction under section 28A

s.033

Duty to co-operate in relation to planning of sustainable development

Part 3 — Development

s.038

Meaning of “national development management policy”

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State must consult before setting national planning policies Crown / Minister / Government department
s.039

Sustainable development

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Authorities must prioritize sustainable development in local planning Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.038

Meaning of “neighbourhood development plan”

s.038

Provision that may be made by neighbourhood development plans

s.038

Supplementary provisions

Part 4 — Development control

Browse 15 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 5 — Correction of errors

s.056

Correction of errors in decisions

Unlimited fine
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Secretary of State or inspector may correct errors in planning decisions Crown / Minister / Government department
Browse 3 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 6 — Wales

s.060

National Development Framework for Wales

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Welsh Ministers must publish the National Development Framework for Wales Crown / Minister / Government department
s.060

Preparation of Framework: statement of public participation

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Welsh Ministers must consult the public on the National Development Framework Crown / Minister / Government department
s.060

Procedure for preparation and publication of Framework

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Welsh Ministers must follow specific procedures to publish the Framework Crown / Minister / Government department
s.060

Review and revision of Framework

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Welsh Ministers must review and update the National Development Framework Crown / Minister / Government department
s.060

Corporate joint committees: area survey

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Corporate joint committees must survey and review regional development factors Local authority
s.060

Corporate joint committee areas: strategic development plans

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Corporate joint committees must prepare and maintain strategic development plans Local authority
s.061

Survey

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local planning authorities must survey and monitor development factors Local authority
s.062

Local development plan

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local planning authorities must prepare local development plans Local authority
s.063

Preparation requirements

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local authorities must prepare development plans following specific requirements Local authority
s.064

Independent examination

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local planning authorities must submit development plans for examination Local authority
s.065

Intervention by Assembly

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Senedd may intervene in or take over local development plans Crown / Minister / Government department
s.068

Duty to consider whether to review local development plan

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local planning authorities must consider reviewing development plans Local authority
s.075

Guidance

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local planning authorities must follow Assembly guidance Local authority
s.076

Annual monitoring report

Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Local planning authorities must submit annual monitoring reports Local authority
Browse 19 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement
s.060

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s.060

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s.060

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s.060

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s.060

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s.060

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s.060

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s.060

Corporate joint committees to which this Part applies

s.060

Strategic development plans: application of provisions of this Part

s.066

Withdrawal of local development plan in absence of direction

Part 7 — Crown application of planning Acts

Browse 20 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 8 — Compulsory purchase

Browse 1 other section in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Part 9 — Miscellaneous and general

Browse 4 other sections in this Part — procedural / definitional / commencement

Schedules

Browse 10 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
s.sch002a

STRATEGIC PLANNING PANELS

Other sections — not classified into a Part

These sections exist in the Act but the contents-of-Parts walker did not place them under a Part. Likely amendments or sections inserted out of the original Part structure.

Browse 2 other unclassified sections
s.default powers exercisable by mayor of london , co

Default powers exercisable by Mayor of London , combined authority , combined county authority or county council

s.modification of neighbourhood development plans

Modification of neighbourhood development plans

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Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

Planning Inspectorate

The Planning Inspectorate

Examines applications for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) under the Planning Act 2008, including large offshore wind farms, power stations, and transmission …

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