The Welsh Government has published the Rural Housing Action Guide for Wales and launched the 2026-27 Rural Housing Enabler (RHE) programme bidding round with £183,600 of funding. The guide serves as a resource for local authorities, social landlords, housing professionals, communities and other partners involved in housing development, offering insights, strategies, case studies and practical tools to enhance the supply of affordable and sustainable housing in rural Wales. The RHE programme involves working with partners, including planners, community and town councils as well as housing associations to assist in the delivery of affordable housing for local communities. The homes delivered by RHE partners contribute to the Welsh Government's target of an additional 20,000 low-carbon homes for rent in the social sector.

The Welsh Government published the full scheme guidance for the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) Universal Layer, with the scheme set to commence on 1 January 2026. Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies described this as 'a truly landmark moment for Welsh agriculture', emphasising that the initiative is designed to support farmers in producing world-class, high-quality food, while also caring for the environment and addressing climate change.

The Welsh Government has published its Timber Industrial Strategy, setting out plans for sustainable forest management and timber production to help reduce net carbon dioxide emissions. The strategy identifies key priority areas: increasing timber supply, enhancing forest resilience, promoting resource efficiency, building confidence in market demand and developing sector capacity, among others. It aims to increase both the quantity and value of timber grown and timber products manufactured in Wales. Forest Research has prepared an accompanying Evidence Annex, while Woodknowledge Wales has compiled a series of relevant case studies under the Home-Grown Homes 2 project.

The Welsh Government has published a Written Statement by the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies MS. The statement on The Movement of Goods (Northern Ireland to Great Britain) (Animals, Feed and Food, Plant Health etc.) (Transitory Provision and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2024 has been laid before the Senedd under Standing Order 30.

The Welsh Government has published a frequently asked questions addendum to the Welsh Development Quality Requirements 2021 (WDQR 2021). The Welsh Government has reviewed the WDQR 2021 and concluded that there is no need to substantially change the standard to maintain the aims of the policy. The Welsh Government has however acknowledged that questions have arisen regarding the application of the standard. The Welsh Government has addressed these questions and provided responses in the addendum.

The Welsh Government has published the built environment mission statement and digital action plan for construction, outlining a strategic vision for a resilient, innovative and socially responsible construction sector in Wales. The mission statement positions construction as essential to delivering infrastructure, housing and public services, while driving economic growth, sustainability and social value. Developed with Constructing Excellence in Wales, the digital action plan sets priorities to enhance productivity, digital capability and future skills. The government continues to promote project bank accounts to ensure fair and prompt payment, supporting SMEs and ethical employment, and is collaborating with industry to improve transparency through a forward pipeline of public sector contracts. In line with the Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Act 2023, contracting authorities must now conduct procurement in a socially responsible way, engaging with unions and focusing on economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being. Together, these initiatives reaffirm the government’s commitment to a construction sector that delivers sustainable value for Wales.

The Welsh Government has published a children's rights impact assessment concerning the Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Bill, which analyses the implications of the proposed legislation on children's rights in Wales. Additionally, the Welsh Government has issued an integrated impact assessment (IIA) to assess the effects of the bill. This assessment is a component of the legislative process for new housing laws designed to tackle homelessness and social housing allocation in Wales. The IIA reviews the potential impacts of the proposed measures on different stakeholders and policy areas within the Welsh housing sector.

The Welsh Government has published its statutory compliance report under section 1 of the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011. The Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden MS, confirmed that Ministers had given due regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child between April 2023 and September 2025. The report explains how children’s rights were built into decision‑making through the Children’s Rights Scheme, Children’s Rights Impact Assessments, staff training, and support from the Children and Young People’s Rights Branch. It also records policy actions such as expanding Flying Start childcare, providing Universal Primary Free School Meals, introducing the young persons’ bus fare pilot and extending it to under‑16s, legislating to end profit in children’s residential and foster care, and delivering new mental health and suicide prevention strategies.

The Welsh Government has published circular letter WGC 004/2025, announcing amendments to the Building Regulations 2010, SI 2010/2214, alongside the publication of an amendment slip to Approved Document B (Fire safety) Volumes 1 and 2 and a new edition of Approved Document 7 (Materials and Workmanship). The Building (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/704, were laid before the Senedd on 19 June 2025, and will come into force on 20 December 2025. SI 2025/704 amends several provisions of SI 2010/2214, including regulation 2(6) (interpretation), regulation 6 (requirements relating to material change of use) and regulation 7 (materials and workmanship). The amendments to Approved Document B Volumes 1 and 2 reflect the changes made by SI 2025/704 and include guidance on areas where no changes to SI 2010/2214 have been made. The current edition of Approved Document 7 (2013 edition with 2020 amendments) will be withdrawn on 20 December 2025 and replaced with a version that incorporates both the 2020 and 2025 amendments. SI 2025/704 and the new Approved Documents will not apply to building work, where a building notice, initial notice, or full plans were submitted to a local authority before SI 2025/704 comes into force, provided the work has already commenced or begins within six months of SI 2025/704 taking effect.

The Welsh Government has published Circular WGC 003/2026 to introduce the Building etc. (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2026, amending the Building Regulations 2010, SI 2010/2214 and related legislation in Wales. The Regulations introduce new energy efficiency requirements under Part L, effective from 4 March 2027, including a revised definition of fixed building services, the revocation of provisions on nearly zero energy buildings and high-efficiency systems, the replacement of the energy efficiency rating with an energy use intensity metric, and a new requirement for on-site renewable electricity generation in new dwellings and buildings containing dwellings. Approved Documents L1, L2 and F1 will also be updated. From 1 July 2026, further amendments implement aspects of the Building Safety Act 2022. These reforms change building control procedures, require completion notices for work reverted to local authorities, align dutyholder definitions, and require disclosure of unresolved contravention notices, with new grounds to reject Initial Notices. Plan checking for higher-risk buildings remains a restricted activity and transitional provisions allow projects that have already commenced or notified before specified dates to continue under the previous regime.

The Welsh Government has published Circular WGC 005/2026 announcing a revised charging scheme for the regulation of the building control profession in Wales which will take effect from 1 April 2026. The scheme, made under the Building Control Profession (Charges) (Wales) Regulations 2023, 2023/1303, has been reviewed and updated to reflect changes in the costs incurred in delivering the Welsh Ministers’ regulatory functions. Charges are set on a cost-recovery basis and apply to activities including the registration of building inspectors and building control approvers. As part of the update, hourly rates used to calculate charges have been increased while upfront registration fees remain unchanged.

The Welsh Government has published circular WGC 007/2026 to introduce the Building etc. (Amendment) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2026, which came into force on 20 July 2026. The Regulations make technical corrections—including corrections to typographical errors, omissions and cross-reference fixes—to the following six pieces of secondary legislation: (1) the Building (Local Authority Charges) Regulations 2010, SI 2010/404; (2) the Building Regulations 2010, SI 2010/2214; (3) the Building (Restricted Activities and Functions) (Wales) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/238; (4) the Building (Registered Building Control Approvers etc.) (Wales) Regulations 2024, SI 2024/1268; (5) the Building etc. (Amendment) (No. 2) (Wales) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/1320 and (6) the Building (Higher-Risk Buildings Procedures) (Wales) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/1321. Notably, charging provisions for local authorities are updated to cover applications under the higher-risk buildings procedures regime, and several amendments were identified by the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee following scrutiny of earlier regulations.