City of London Local Plan: adopted policies and emerging plans
The City’s adopted Local Plan is still the 2015 plan in the checked register. City Plan 2040 remains under examination following an additional hearing on 2 September 2026 about heritage and tall buildings. Earlier announcements approving consultation or progressing the plan should not be mistaken for its final adoption.
- Area
- City of London Corporation, England
- Official sources checked
- Profile updated
- Review status
- AI-assisted source check. Professional planning review not completed.
Check the planning authority first
The City of London Corporation is the local planning authority for the Square Mile. This is a separate authority from neighbouring Westminster, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Southwark; a central-London address does not identify the correct local plan.
The London Plan supplies the strategic policy framework. The Tower of London World Heritage Site is relevant to the City’s current examination because development can affect heritage settings across administrative boundaries; the monument’s location does not remove that issue from the City plan process.
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.
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City of London Local Plan 2015
Adopted. 2015 adopted plan.
The current adopted-plan page links the Local Plan and policies maps A and B. Map B was republished in September 2020 to correct the City Flood Risk Area boundary. The precise adoption day and plan period are not assigned here because they were not independently checked.
Plan period and recorded dates
- Plan period
- Not verified
- Adopted or made
- Exact date not verified
- Separate effective date
- Not verified
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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
Use both adopted policies maps A and B from the 2015 plan page. The council explains that the September 2020 correction to map B added omitted land within Environment Agency Flood Zone 2 to the City Flood Risk Area. An original 2015 copy of map B can therefore be out of date.
City Plan 2040 has a separate draft policies-map package in the submission library, together with subsequent changes. The examination page records revised maps in May 2025. Keep these distinct from the adopted maps, particularly when researching height, views or heritage-related designations.
Emerging plans and examination progress
The council submitted City Plan 2040 on 29 August 2024. Consultation on modifications ran from 15 December 2025 to 6 February 2026, and responses were provided to the Inspectors in February. These were examination stages, not final adoption.
A ministerial direction led to further consideration of tall-building contours and the Tower of London World Heritage Site. The additional hearing took place on 2 September 2026; the council says the reserved 3 September session was not required.
The examination page is therefore the key status source for this check. No adopted City Plan 2040 notice was identified. Future reporting should verify a final report and formal adoption record rather than infer completion from statements that the plan is ready.
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City Plan 2040
Emerging: not adopted. Submitted August 2024; additional examination hearing September 2026.
Replacement planning framework for the Square Mile. Examination continued after a ministerial direction on tall buildings and heritage. Read the submitted plan with the current modification material and examination correspondence; neither committee approval nor completed hearings alone proves adoption.
Plan period and recorded dates
- Plan period
- To 2040
- Adopted or made
- Not adopted in checked sources
- Separate effective date
- Not verified
Published milestones and events
City Plan 2040 submitted
The submission library and examination chronology record submission to the Secretary of State.
Modification consultation closed
The published consultation window ended in February; this was not adoption.
Additional hearing held
Tall buildings and heritage were considered; the following day’s reserved session was unnecessary.
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
Use the policy library’s separate Local Plan, SPD and planning-advice categories. The library also contains earlier draft City Plan versions, so the first result for a familiar title may not be the version relevant to a current proposal.
The library lists 2026 Air Quality SPD material, including an adoption statement and multiple document entries. Check the adoption statement and final version before using technical guidance. For design work, follow the adopted policy’s references to heritage, townscape, access and environmental evidence rather than relying on a draft height map in isolation.
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City planning advice and supplementary planning documents
Supporting guidance. Current policy-library categories and document versions.
The library holds supporting guidance alongside Local Plan 2015 and City Plan 2040 material. Filter by document category and check the title, adoption statement and version before using it. Upload dates are not necessarily adoption dates or the date the policy first took effect.
Plan period and recorded dates
- Plan period
- Not verified
- Adopted or made
- Exact date not verified
- 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
- Confirm the site falls within the City boundary.
- Download the adopted plan and both maps, including revised map B.
- Keep draft 2040 policies and map changes in a separately labelled comparison.
- Check supporting guidance by category, document version and adoption statement.
- Reopen examination news and the adopted-plan register for any decision after the September hearing.
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.
Official source register (5 sources)
- Local Plan 2015 and adopted policies maps
City of London Corporation. Adopted 2015; map B revised September 2020. Checked .
- City Plan 2040 examination news
City of London Corporation. Additional hearing held 2 September 2026. Checked .
- City Plan 2040 submission documents
City of London Corporation. Submitted 29 August 2024; draft plan and map library. Checked .
- Planning policy document library
City of London Corporation. Adopted-plan, draft-plan and SPD categories; 2026 Air Quality documents. Checked .
- London Plan 2021 online
Greater London Authority. Published March 2021; London-wide strategic plan. Checked .
First published . Recorded adopted and emerging documents, source dates and stated gaps.
Report a correction with this page and an official source link.