Consultation Period Opens for Proposed Reforms to National Planning Policy Framework

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has launched a consultation on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and other changes to the planning system.

The consultation on changes to the NPPF covers the following:

• Making the standard method for assessing housing needs mandatory;
• Reversing other changes made to the NPPF in December 2023;
• Implementing a new standard method and calculation;
• Broadening the existing definition of brownfield land;
• Identifying grey belt land within the Green Belt (grey belt land is a new term introduced by the Labour Party to refer to lower quality green belt land);
• Improving the operation of ‘the presumption’ in favour of sustainable development;
• Delivering affordable, well-designed homes, with new ‘golden rules’ for land released in the Green Belt;
• Making wider changes to ensure that local planning authorities are able to prioritise the types of affordable homes their communities need on all housing development;
• Supporting economic growth in key sectors, aligned with the Government’s industrial strategy and future local growth plans, including laboratories, gigafactories, data centres, digital economies and freight and logistics;
• Delivering community needs to support society and the creation of healthy places; and
• Supporting clean energy and the environment, including through support for onshore wind and renewables.

In terms of wider changes to the planning system, views are sought on the following:

• Whether to reform the way that the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime applies to onshore wind, solar, data centres, laboratories, gigafactories and water projects;
• Whether the local plan intervention policy criteria should be updated or removed, so the Government can intervene where necessary to ensure housing delivery; and
• Proposals to increase some planning fees, including for householder applications, so that local planning authorities are properly resourced to support a sustained increase in development and improve performance.

It also sets out how and when every local planning authority will be expected to rapidly create a clear, ambitious local plan for high quality housebuilding and economic growth.

This consultation will close at 11:45pm on 24th September 2024.

More information can be found here. The current operational NPPF can viewed here.