Bexley Local Plan: adopted policies and emerging plans

Check the planning authority first

Bexley Council determines applications in its administrative area, using its Local Plan with the Mayor’s London Plan. Confirm the boundary for sites near Greenwich or Dartford; borough and postal names should not be used interchangeably.

The council’s development-plan register explains neighbourhood planning and directs prospective forums to discuss proposals with the council. It does not provide evidence in this check of an additional made neighbourhood plan applicable to a particular property.

Adopted development-plan documents

Read the relevant policy wording and map together. An unverified date is a gap in this profile, not a finding that a document has no legal effect.

• Bexley Local Plan

  Adopted. 26 April 2023 adoption.

  Adopted 26 April 2023.

  Strategic and detailed policies, infrastructure framework and residential or residential-led site allocations. The adoption statement confirms full replacement of the Core Strategy, remaining UDP policies and UDP proposals map. Use the new Local Plan policies map rather than a historic UDP extract.

  Plan period and recorded dates

  Plan period

  To 2038

  Adopted or made

  26 April 2023

  Separate effective date

  Not verified

• London Plan 2021

  Adopted. March 2021 published plan.

  London-wide strategic framework covering housing, design, infrastructure, transport, heritage and environmental policy. Read the relevant strategic policies with the local documents and any area-specific requirements. Individual policies have different time horizons; this profile does not assign a single expiry date.

  Plan period and recorded dates

  Plan period

  Not verified

  Adopted or made

  Exact date not verified

  Separate effective date

  Not verified

Policies maps and site boundaries

The adopted register links the Bexley Local Plan Policies Map on the council’s ArcGIS service. Use that map to identify geographic policy application, then read the relevant policy and any allocation requirements in the plan itself.

The adoption statement explicitly replaced the UDP proposals map. A saved search result or old estate-agent planning pack may therefore point to superseded mapping. Record the source, date and policy references of the map extract used for a proposal.

• Development Plan and policies-map register

Emerging plans and examination progress

The 2025 Local Development Scheme programmes a review of the 2023 plan by 25 April 2028 and anticipates preparation of a new plan thereafter. Those dates are future programme milestones, not evidence that a replacement plan is already adopted or submitted.

The guidance register is more recent than some programme assumptions: Part 2 was adopted on 29 June 2026 after consultation closed on 12 April. Use this completed adoption update when choosing design guidance, rather than describing Part 2 as still in preparation.

Published milestones and events

• Local Plan adopted

  26 April 2023

  New policies and mapping replaced the previous Core Strategy and remaining UDP framework.

  • Local Plan adoption statement

• Design Guide Part 2 adopted

  29 June 2026

  Four supporting documents now cover area types, alterations, small sites and technical guidance.

  • Supplementary planning documents and guidance

Check the official programme before attending a hearing or relying on a deadline. A consultation, hearing or inspector's report is distinct from adoption. This page is a checked snapshot, not a live calendar.

Local design and supporting guidance

Part 2 replaces the Design and Development Control Guidelines SPD, Crayford Residential Design Code, Crayford Town Centre Design and Identity Guide, and Sustainable Design and Construction SPD. Start with the replacement suite when researching an extension or small infill project.

Building Alterations and Extensions covers changes to residential and non-residential buildings; Small Sites addresses recurring development types, while the Technical Handbook supports practical implementation. Area Types helps relate a proposal to its surroundings instead of treating the same design response as suitable everywhere.

• Design Guide SPD Part 2

  Supporting guidance. Part 1 January 2025; Part 2 adopted 29 June 2026.

  Adopted 29 June 2026.

  Read with Part 1, adopted in January 2025, which sets design principles. Part 2 comprises Area Types, Building Alterations and Extensions, Small Sites and a Technical Handbook. Select the relevant component and read it with the general principles; the four documents address different scales of design decisions.

  Plan period and recorded dates

  Plan period

  Not verified

  Adopted or made

  29 June 2026

  Separate effective date

  Not verified

Design guidance does not establish that work is permitted development. Check the national rules, planning conditions and any relevant local restrictions.

What to do for your property

1. Confirm the council boundary and use the adopted policies map.
2. Read the applicable site allocation with the general development-management policies.
3. Download the adopted 2026 design-guide component relevant to the proposal and check its diagrams and supporting text.
4. Reopen the Local Development Scheme before relying on a future consultation or review date.
5. Check current application requirements and national permission routes separately from the design assessment.

Keep the document versions, maps and date of your check with your project notes. A boundary, policy conflict or transition may need assessment by the relevant authority or a suitably qualified planning professional.

Sources, review and changes

These AI-assisted checks cover published document identity, status, dates and links. They do not decide how policy applies to an individual site, and professional planning review has not been completed.

Source-check dates describe when we inspected the source. They do not renew automatically when the website is rebuilt. We link to official documents without claiming a licence over them or republishing them.

First published 8 September 2026. Recorded adopted and emerging documents, source dates and stated gaps.

Report a correction with this page and an official source link.