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GPDO timeline: from 1948 to the current Order
This GPDO timeline follows the main General Development Orders and General Permitted Development Orders from 1948 to the current English Order made in 2015. The name changed in 1995 when “permitted” was added, but the basic purpose remained the same: granting planning permission nationally for specified types of development.
The 2015 GPDO applies to England. Wales continued with its own amended version of the 1995 Order and now has a separate Planning Geek Welsh GPDO section.
Need help with permitted development?
Permitted development can avoid a full planning application, but only if the right applies and every relevant limit and condition is met. Planning Geek can check the planning history, Article 4 directions and other restrictions, and help with a lawful development certificate or prior approval where needed.
The GPDO timeline at a glance
The years above are the main consolidated Orders, not every amending instrument. Each Order accumulated amendments during its life before being replaced by the next major consolidation.
How the GPDO timeline developed
- 1948: the first General Development Order after the modern planning system was created
- 1950: the first major replacement Order
- 1959: a further Order operating alongside the 1950 framework and its 1958 amendment
- 1963: a new consolidation replacing the 1950 framework and most of the 1959 Order; Articles 3 to 6 of the 1959 Order remained in force
- 1973: consolidation under the Town and Country Planning Act 1971
- 1977: the next General Development Order, later amended repeatedly during the 1980s
- 1988: a major restructuring into Parts and lettered Classes, much closer to the modern format
- 1995: the first General Permitted Development Order
- 2015: the current English GPDO, still heavily amended rather than replaced
Current and proposed GPDO changes
Forthcoming amendment: SI 2026/1056 was made on 25th September 2026, laid on 30th September and comes into force on 21st October 2026. It changes EV charging rights in Part 2, inserts cross-pavement channels in Part 9, extends the RAAC school right in Part 4, changes electricity infrastructure rights in Part 15, and updates Article 2 and Part 20. These English GPDO changes are not yet in force. See the 2015 GPDO amendment archive for the locally hosted instrument.
The 2015 Order is still the current English GPDO. It continues to change through amending statutory instruments, including amendments made in 2025 and 2026.
For consultations, announced changes and measures awaiting secondary legislation, see proposed changes to the GPDO. That tracker distinguishes between an idea under consultation and a change which has actually become law.
Useful source material
GPDO timeline updated: 1st October 2026