The LAPL will come into effect 8th April 2012, but there is a maximum three year derogation allowed to member states to provide them with administrative easing of the transition. Some member states may well be issuing a LAPL from April 2012, but these will only conversions from equivalent national licences based on a conversion report from the NAA of the member state, whilst other NAAs will use the derogation time-delay to get their administrative processes set up. The UK CAA aims to issue LAPLs from July 2012.
Applicants for a new LAPL (i.e. training from zero post 8 April 2012) are unlikely to be doing this before the end of 2012 at the earliest as the required Approved Training Organisations will not have had their approvals until at least April 2012, followed by the training elapsed timescale.
Everyone wanting conversion from a national licence to a LAPL will need to complete the process by 8 April 2015 in order to continue to fly aircraft within the scope of EU airworthiness regulations after that date.