Relevant neighbourhood plans can also form part of that plan. It is not a choice between using London-wide standards and using the council's rules. [1][2]
What each layer does
The London Plan addresses strategic matters such as housing, the distribution of development, design, transport and the environment. Borough plans provide the local policy framework, alongside any other operative development-plan documents. Westminster's published policy list, for example, identifies both its City Plan and the London Plan, as well as neighbourhood plans applying to particular areas. [3][2]
For a homeowner, the practical task is to bring these layers together for the actual property. A borough-wide policy, a site allocation and a neighbourhood policy do not necessarily cover the same geographical area. Start with the council's list of operative documents, not a single policy quotation found in an old application report. [2]
What happens if policies conflict?
Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires decisions to follow the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Where development-plan policies conflict, section 38(5) gives priority to the policy in the document adopted, approved or published most recently. This is a rule about conflicting development-plan provisions, not a rule that every newer webpage overrides an adopted plan. [1]
National policy is a material consideration. The NPPF published on 17 August 2026 separates policies for making plans from national decision-making policies. Its introduction explains that plan-making policies are not themselves intended to be used to determine individual applications. [4][5]
Annex A says development-plan provisions materially inconsistent with the national decision-making policies should receive very limited weight, with an exception for policies examined and adopted or made against this Framework. Other policies do not lose weight simply because they predate it. Therefore neither “the Local Plan always wins” nor “the new NPPF cancelled every local restriction” is a reliable starting point. [6]
Guidance is a separate layer
A supplementary planning document explains adopted policy but does not itself have development-plan status. New-style supplementary plans are different: the amended legislation includes them within the development plan. Check the document's formal type and adoption status rather than relying on the word “supplementary” in its title. [7][1]
This matters when a design guide illustrates a roof, extension or layout. Identify the policy it explains before treating an illustration as a compulsory dimension for every property. The policy and the supporting explanation have different roles. [7]
A practical policy check
Prepare a short schedule with four columns: document, status, relevant provision and design response. Use it to distinguish operative policies from explanatory guidance and draft proposals. This is a working method for keeping the statutory and non-statutory material separate, rather than an additional council submission requirement. [1][7]
Then check the council's current document list again before submission and before responding to an officer's policy objection. A partial review can replace selected policies without replacing the entire plan: Westminster's review adopted on 21 January 2026 illustrates why the document version matters. [2]
The draft London Plan
As checked on 2 October 2026, the new London Plan is at consultation stage, not adopted. Keep its proposed policies separate from the operative plan. Under national policy DM4, the weight given to emerging policies depends on their stage, unresolved objections and consistency with the relevant national policies; a draft is neither automatically decisive nor automatically irrelevant. [3][8]