In the Dutch system, only the local land-use plan is legally binding. This implies that, so far as regulation of land use is concerned, the effectiveness of the system as a whole is highly dependent on the effectiveness of this type of plan. There has been much debate on this issue and the 1985 revision of the Act on Spatial Planning was meant to resolve some of the most obvious problems. In this paper we review research being conducted on the performance of local land-use plans, discuss the effects of the 1985 revision in this respect, and make suggestions for developing a more robust model for local land-use planning within the framework of the present legislation.