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New City Plan - Early consultation

THIS CONSULTATION HAS NOW CLOSED 

Westminster City Council has begun an exciting early stage of consultation for a new City Plan. 

This asked you to provide feedback on future development in Westminster. What would you like to see more of in your neighbourhood? What could be done better? What is or is not meeting your needs?

The public consultation ran through September until 20th November 2025.

About the project

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The council began early, informal engagement with the local community and other stakeholders in Autumn 2025. The feedback received has been used to co-produce and shape our joint vision and priorities the future of the city.

All feedback received has been consolidated and published in a Direction of Travel document which sets out the direction of travel of the new City Plan.

The City Plan sets out the framework for long term growth in the City of Westminster and guides planning decisions in the area.

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About the project

Further information on the Local Plan and why we consulted with you!

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Timeline

Phase 1a: Scoping for a new City Plan

August 2025 - January 2026
The council are reaching out to Westminster’s communities to gather ideas on what the vision for the city should be over the next twenty years. We want to understand what is special about the city and should be protected from redevelopment, what challenges people face, and where in the city we should focus planning for new development. This will help us to develop a new vision and direction of travel for our new local plan (the City Plan).

Phase 1b: Direction of Travel document

February 2026 - March 2026
The council produced a Direction of Travel document informed by the extensive engagement with a variety of stakeholders that took place at the end of 2025. The document summarises all the key opportunities and challenges the City faces and presents a combined vision for the New City Plan, with policy aspirations.

Phase 2: Regulation 18 consultation

August 2026 - October 2027
The direction of travel will inform the first formal stage of the plan making process, which is known as the ‘Regulation 18 stage’. Councils must complete this consultation stage when updating their local plans. The Council will invite stakeholders to comment on what the new or updated local plan should contain, such as housing, jobs, green spaces, and transport. This helps us understand local needs and explore different options before writing detailed policies. This stage includes policy drafting and evidence gathering.

Phase 3: Regulation 19 consultation

November 2027 - December 2028
The ‘Regulation 19 stage’ is the second round of consultation on a new draft local plan. We will produce evidence to support and explain why we have drafted policies the way we have. The Council will invite all stakeholders to comment on proposed policies. People can let us know whether they agree or disagree with specific parts of the plan and suggest changes, along with evidence to support their comments.

Phase 4: Submission

December 2028 - July 2029
The submission stage is when the council formally submits the draft local plan and all supporting documents to a government appointed independent Planning Inspector for review. We will submit all of the consultation comments received at the Regulation 19 stage for the Inspector to review. The Inspector will check the submission and assess whether the plan is legally compliant, based on strong evidence, has been prepared fairly and realistically, is consistent with national planning policies and has been prepared in accordance with the council’s duty to cooperate with our neighbouring authorities and other public bodies.

Phase 5: Examination and Adoption

July 2029 - February 2030
The Planning Inspector will carry out their assessment of the draft local plan, its evidence base and all the consultation responses from Regulation 19. This stage will likely include Public Hearings where the Inspector will do a deep dive on issues they consider need public discussion. If they conclude modifications are necessary to make the plan sound, they will recommend them. Once the changes are consulted on and agreed with the Inspector, the final version of the plan will be adopted by the council. At that point, it’s published and becomes the official guide for shaping the future of the city!

News

designed Westminster buildings and people around black circle

Westminster New City Plan: Scoping Consultation and Call for Sites now open

We are pleased to announced that Westminster City Council has launched a scoping consultation for the new City Plan, and we’d like to hear your views.The City Plan will guide where and how Westminster

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DOT front page

The DOT is published!

We are pleased to announce that the council has published the new City Plan, Direction of Travel document.🎉The DOT document summarises the key challenges facing the city and outlines key opportunitie

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City Plan 2019-2040

Early consultation has now closed!

In Autumn 2025, the council began early consultation with the local residents, businesses and other stakeholders to gain feedback on whether Westminster's development is currently meeting their needs.

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Group of people around a table with notes/pens

Join Our Workshops for the New City Plan!

🗣️Come and join the Planning Policy team as we begin developing the New City Plan for Westminster. Residents, business owners, and members of the local community are invited to take part in three in-

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Regent Street

External consultation is now live

Westminster City Council is kicking off early, informal consultation to prepare for a new City Plan 🎉This consultation aims to gather insights from the local community in Westminster, whether you liv

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Meet the team

Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council

Westminster City Council is responsible for running this consultation, analysing its results and presenting them to stakeholders and the public.

Read Westminster City Council privacy policy

Planning Policy Team
Planning Policy Team

The Planning Policy Team, works with internal and external stakeholders to produce the council's planning policy documents and associated guidance.

GDPR DISCLAIMER

Please note that Westminster City Council will capture and store some personal details. We may use this information to contact you if we need more information. These details will be kept by Westminster City Council and will only be used for the purpose set out above. Your personal details will remain with us until we have concluded the process of preparing the new City Plan. To remove your personal details, please email planningpolicy@westminster.gov.uk. If you move to a new organisation and your old email address bounces back, we will remove this email address from our list.

Planning Policy Team