Key Elements of the Planning (Wales) Act 2026 - A Roundup for Property Lawyers

Introduction

The Planning (Wales) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 27 April 2026 and represents one of the most significant developments in Welsh planning law since devolution. Although the Act is primarily a consolidation measure, its practical and constitutional significance should not be underestimated.

The Act brings together planning legislation previously dispersed across multiple Acts of Parliament into a single, modern Welsh statute. In doing so, it seeks to simplify and clarify the planning law applicable in Wales, modernise drafting and terminology, and reflect the increasing divergence between Welsh and English planning systems.

This webinar provides a practical high-level overview of the new Act, focusing on its structure, purpose and key operative provisions, while comparing selected areas with the equivalent provisions of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

What You Will Learn

This webinar will cover the following:

• Background and purpose of the Act: why consolidation was considered necessary
• Overview of the structure and organisation of the Act
• Key elements of the new legislation, including:
• The meaning of ‘development’
• The requirement for planning permission
• Retention of the Welsh four-year and 10-year enforcement limitation periods
• The new planning obligations regime under Part 6

This pre-recorded webinar will be available to view from Monday 12th October 2026

Alternatively, you can gain access to this webinar and 2,400+ others via the MBL Webinar Subscription. Please email webinarsubscription@mblseminars.com for more details.