Changes in the Development Planning System for Local Government Units at the Municipal Level

Abstract The aim of this article was to highlight legislative changes in the process of municipal development planning, which will come into force on 1 July 2026. By introducing the obligation for services subordinate to single-person municipal executive bodies to draw up development strategies and for such documents to be adopted by municipal council resolutions, the amended regulations will force local government units to increase the level of integration of their planning documents with supra-local and provincial strategies. Strategies created earlier will have to be updated or redrafted in accordance with the requirements described in this article. There are 2,479 municipalities in Poland (as of 1 January 2025). This may entail a huge logistical and organisational effort for local governments, or it may become a catalyst for the consolidation of municipalities and counties in the joint creation of supra-local strategies. It may also lead to a lack of consistency in the development management system in relations between the municipality and the region.