Revision to the NPPF: Read our comments & recommendations

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is being revised again. This important document sets out the main Government planning policies in England. It was last updated by the previous Government as recently as December 2023.

The Labour Party’s manifesto included a strong agenda focussing on economic growth and committed to a shake-up of planning policy to achieve this.  Included were aims to increase the numbers of new homes built annually with more affordable homes in the mix, to speed the transition to green energy with more solar and wind energy investment, and to speed up the delivery of major infrastructure projects.

After the election, the Government wasted no time and a consultation on changes to the NPPF was launched at the beginning of August. This consultation is highly important for CPRE and after extensive consultation with the Branch network a OneCPRE response was submitted on 25th September.

Comments and recommendations include:

• calling for a more transparent method of assessing genuine housing need;
• recommending clear, ambitious and binding targets to make sure that a mix of tenures is delivered in line with local need, and for a new definition of ‘affordable’ in planning policy so that house prices reflect average local incomes;
• requiring a mix of housing tenures (including social housing) in large developments, and a greater role for smaller and medium-sized housebuilders;
• welcoming a commitment to ‘brownfield first’, but pushing for new developments to be directed to previously used land where possible;
• maintaining strong protections for the Green Belt, and a rethink of the proposed reclassification of areas of Green Belt as ‘grey belt’ which could risk the unnecessary loss of Green Belt land through speculative planning applications;
• urging the Government to balance economic sustainability with social and environmental sustainability particularly in relation to transport where emissions need to be cut significantly and where there needs to be a greater focus on sustainable travel in planning policy;
• calling for a strengthening of the protection for best and most versatile land in the interests of food security;
• calling for increased commitments to support nature recovery;
• recommending a push for rooftop solar to meet most of our national solar energy targets with rooftop solar as standard on new industrial and office buildings and new homes, which could help us get closer to net zero while protecting landscapes. Solar developments on green fields should be exceptional (and should be multi-functional to benefit landscapes and nature).

It is anticipated that the Government will fast track changes to the NPPF and a new version will be introduced by the New Year.