Part 13: General Schedule 7: Plan making Section 15A: Agreements to prepare joint spatial development strategy Effect
Section 15A(1) sets out that there must be at least two participating authorities but there is no upper limit on the number of authorities that can agree to produce a joint SDS.
	Subsection (2) sets out the local planning authorities that are eligible to be participating authorities in preparing a joint SDS.
	Subsection (2)(b) sets out that any local planning authorities within a combined authority area cannot enter into arrangements to produce a joint SDS. The principle being that either the combined authority already has a duty to produce an SDS or that it could seek the duty to produce an SDS through a devolution agreement.
	Subsection (2)(e) set out that any local planning authorities already covered by a joint SDS cannot enter into arrangements to produce a separate SDS, unless the existing joint SDS is withdrawn, or they withdraw from the existing joint SDS.
	Subsection (4) defines the terms "preparation agreement", "participating authorities" and "joint strategy area."
Example (1): Authorities agreeing to produce a joint SDS
Three district councils and a unitary authority could agree to produce a joint SDS, as long as none of the authorities were covered by a combined authority, or mayoral combined authority, or were within the Greater London area. The area to be covered need not include the whole of the county (or counties if there were more than one) but would need to cover the whole of the area of the relevant districts within the county.