National planning policy is set out by central government and
this must be reflected in planning policy at the regional and local
levels.
The lead department for the planning system in England is the
Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG). There also
other departments that have a role to play in the planning system
such as:
The legislation governing the planning system is set out in
various Acts of Parliament (primary legislation) and associated
statutory instruments (secondary legislation) which support the
Acts.
Legislation which has received Royal Assent, which means it has
been signed into law or agreed by Parliament, can be viewed on the
Office of Public Sector
Information website.
Draft legislation which is going through Parliament can be
viewed on the Parliament website.
National policy is set out in a series of:
- Planning Policy Statements (PPS)
- Planning Policy Guidance (PPG)
- Departmental Circulars
- Ministerial Statements and good practice guides.
Minerals are covered by a separate set of policy guidance
called:
- Minerals Policy Statements (MPS) or
- Minerals Planning Guidance (MPG).
All these can be viewed on the Department of
Communities and Local Government (DCLG) website.
