Planner Responds to New National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

The government has launched a consultation on revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework. In light of this, planning partner, Dan Mitchell shared his thoughts:

“We welcome the public consultation on the revised version of NPPF and the government’s commitment to speed up plan-making in 2026. The Christmas announcements are the latest in a long line of adjustments to the planning system in 2025, with the government pulling every lever it reasonably can to get the planning system delivering much-needed new homes.

“For the first time, the draft NPPF introduces greater clarity between plan-making and decision-making policies. The strengthening of the presumption in favour of sustainable development is of particular importance and will give greater confidence to our clients in bringing forward their schemes in the New Year.

“We also welcome the emphasis on even greater speed in the plan-making process. Local plans take years to prepare and are regularly delayed by missing evidence or more minor aspects of planning – adding hours into local plan examinations and delaying sites from being allocated for much-needed development.

“The latest changes, including the recently announced removal of the duty to co-operate, appear to fix the stages of plan-making and could go some way to streamlining the process overall. The consultation also introduces changes to the way housing need is calculated, with potential greater growth allocated to parts of the Midlands and the North.”

“The new NPPF and accompanying updates to the plan-making guidance simplify the steps councils must go through. It represents a continued trend to centralise the planning system in a top-down pattern to growth – leaving local authorities the freedom to choose sites locally.

“The changes also come at a point where the government has committed more funding into local planning departments and the Planning Inspectorate. There’s a clear strategy from the government to have universal plan coverage in place. It’s an unambiguous statement from the government to the development industry in 2026, that states: ‘Right – we have unlocked the planning system. Over to you now to deliver’.

The consultation includes some 225 questions and runs until 10th March, inviting a very wide range of responses. Please contact us if we can help with any aspects of the NPPF consultation.