Overview of plan-making reforms under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 As is set out in detail in Practice Note: Plan-making in England under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023—principles and key steps, the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA 2023) amends Part 2 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (PCPA 2004) from 25 March 2026 to effect significant changes to the plan-making system. Accompanying secondary legislation, in particular the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026 (Local Planning Regulations), SI 2026/186, also in force from 25 March 2026, imposes detailed procedural requirements. Currently, two plan-making systems operate in parallel: • the legacy plan-making system under PCPA 2004, excluding the changes introduced by LURA 2023 (the Legacy Plan-Making System), and • the current plan-making system under PCPA 2004, including the changes introduced by LURA 2023 (the Current Plan-Making System) The Current Plan-Making System aims to ensure local planning authorities (LPAs) produce local plans within 30 months and update

STOP PRESS: A revised version of the National Planning Policy Framework was published on 17 August 2026. This content is being reviewed in light of the revised version. Overview of plan-making reforms under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 As is set out in detail in Practice Note: Plan-making in England under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023—principles and key steps, the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 (LURA 2023) amends Part 2 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 (PCPA 2004) from 25 March 2026 to effect significant changes to the plan-making system. Accompanying secondary legislation, in particular the Town and Country Planning (Local Planning) (England) Regulations 2026 (Local Planning Regulations), SI 2026/186, also in force from 25 March 2026, imposes detailed procedural requirements. Currently, two plan-making systems operate in parallel: • the Legacy Plan-Making System under PCPA 2004, excluding the changes introduced by LURA 2023 (the Legacy Plan-Making System), and • the Current Plan-Making System under PCPA 2004, including the changes introduced by LURA 2023 (the Current

Overview of plan-making reforms under the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023 The planning system in England is plan-led: planning decisions must be taken in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Where there is no local plan in place, or relevant policies in the local plan are out of date, the presumption in favour of sustainable development in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) applies, meaning that planning permission should be granted unless national policy that protects areas or assets of particular importance provides strong reasons for a refusal, or the adverse impacts of the development significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits. The policies in a local plan are therefore of fundamental importance in development management decisions. Without an up-to-date plan, planning decision-makers are more exposed to arguments over weight, policy conflict, and reliance on national policy alone. This is seen as making outcomes less predictable and more vulnerable on appeal. Given the primacy of the development plan in England, it is seen as important that

Law360, London: An aircraft lessor and a reinsurer have reached a settlement to pause part of a multimillion-dollar dispute over a plane stranded in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, while the wider case continues.

Law360: Chubb European Group SE has said it is not liable for US$14.7m claimed by the Irish wing of a US aircraft leasing company to cover the claimed loss of a plane stranded in Russia because the insurer says it is not actually lost.

Law360: A batch of reinsurers has denied they must pay out in a dispute over US$44m to cover the alleged loss of a plane leased to a Russian airline, arguing the plane is not lost and would not be covered by the policy.

Claire Jones, HMCTS Service Manager for Employment Tribunals, has passed on the following message: ‘Please be aware that all Employment Tribunal online services (affecting submission of ET1s, ET3s and digital applications) will be subject to planned upgrades between 20:30 and 23:30 on 21 May 2026. The usual "this service is temporarily unavailable" message will appear for anyone trying to submit via the digital portals during this period. Any party with a time limit expiring in this period should plan accordingly’.

Mark Lewis, HMCTS Senior Service Manager for Employment Tribunals, has passed on the following message: ‘Please be aware that all Employment Tribunal online services (affecting submission of ET1s, ET3s and digital applications) will be subject to planned upgrades between 20:30 on Wednesday 22 July 2026 and 01:30 on Thursday 23 July 2026. The usual "this service is temporarily unavailable" message will appear for anyone trying to submit via the digital portals during this period. Any party with a time limit expiring in this period should plan accordingly.

This Practice Note provides practical guidance on the planned second phase of border controls for EU goods imported into the UK. It provides guidance on the main elements of the draft Border Target Operating Models, such as the Sanitary and Phytosanitary control and the Safety and Security Controls as well as the timeline for the introductions of these controls. It also provides guidance on the UK Single Trade Window and the timelines for the development thereof. Introduction When the UK exited the EU’s customs union in 2020, the UK had to establish its own border arrangements to deal with imports from the EU. This obligation arose on 1 January 2021. As from this date, UK products imported into the EU have been subject to full EU border controls. However, the UK did not implement any border controls on EU imports until 1 January 2022. For guidance on the border controls that were introduced, see Practice Note: New UK border control with the EU as from 1 January 2022. The UK’s intention was to impose

Planning analysis: The Planning (Wales) Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 27 April 2026, alongside the Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Act 2026. The Act does not make substantive policy changes to the planning system, but consolidates Welsh town and country planning law into a single bilingual Act, modernising its structure and language while preserving its legal effect. The main practical implications for planning lawyers are the need to adapt to a new Welsh statutory structure and terminology, to update references and precedent materials, and to manage the transition from the existing framework until commencement and supporting subordinate legislation are in place.

The Planning (Wales) Act 2026 (P(W)A 2026) was made on 27 April 2026. It brings together the principal legislation relating to town and country planning law in Wales. It is a consolidation measure which restates existing legislation and is intended to bring Welsh town and country planning legislation into a coherent form, preserving

The Planning (Wales) Act 2026 (P(W)A 2026) and the Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Wales) Act 2026 (P(CP)(W)A 2026) received Royal Assent on 27 April 2026. P(W)A 2026 consolidates the principal legislation relating to town and country planning in Wales into a single bilingual Act and is not intended to make substantive policy changes. Only limited provisions came into force automatically on 28 April 2026; the substantive consolidated planning code will come into force on a day appointed by the Welsh Ministers. Until commencement and supporting subordinate legislation are in place, the existing legislative framework continues to apply. See News Analysis: Planning (Wales) Act 2026 receives Royal Assent: a new consolidated framework for Welsh planning law. Background In October 2011, an independent advisory group was established to review the delivery of the planning system in Wales. In 2014, the group reported that they did not consider that there was a need for a ‘root and branch’ reform, but put forward a number of recommendations for improvement of the system. The end result was the Planning (Wales) Act