A New NPPF is Coming

In December, the Government published a draft revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for consultation, with responses invited until 10 March 2026. The draft represents the most significant overhaul of national planning policy since the NPPF was first introduced in 2012, proposing not only substantial policy changes but a fundamental restructuring of how national planning policy is presented and applied.

The draft NPPF should be read alongside wider announcements on biodiversity net gain, viability guidance and plan-making reform, and forms a central part of the Government’s stated ambition to accelerate housing delivery, support economic growth and simplify decision-making.

We have outlined some of the most significant proposals and changes below:

A Fundamentally Restructured NPPF

The proposed draft is not a simple update to the existing Framework. Instead, it introduces a wholesale structural reorganisation, replacing consecutively numbered paragraphs with local plan-style numbered policies. The document is now clearly divided between “Plan-making policies” and “Decision-making policies”, with an explicit instruction that plan-making policies should not be applied when determining planning applications. This separation is intended to avoid duplication of national policy in local plans and to provide a more rules-based and consistent approach to decision-taking.

The draft also introduces a number of new annexes, drawing key technical material, including housing need methodology, green belt assessment processes and viability inputs, closer to the status of national policy.

An Expanded Presumption in Favour Of Sustainable Development

One of the most significant changes is the expansion and reformulation of the presumption in favour of sustainable development.

Within settlements, the draft introduces a default position that development proposals should be approved unless the harms would substantially outweigh the benefits. This represents a clear move towards an “in principle” acceptance of development in urban areas, particularly on brownfield land.

Outside settlements, the presumption would apply to a defined list of development types, including: development to meet unmet housing need (such as where the 5 year cannot be demonstrated), certain types of rural development, suitable housing and mixed-use development within reasonable walking distance of railway stations, including in Green Belt locations where the Government’s ‘golden rules’ are met

Where development does not fall within these categories they would not benefit from the presumption and would generally be refused unless exceptional circumstances are demonstrated.

Strategic Planning and Spatial Development Strategies

The draft NPPF gives effect to the Government’s intention to reintroduce strategic planning. Newly designated Strategic Planning Authorities will be required to prepare Spatial Development Strategies (SDSs) setting out a long-term (minimum 20-year) vision for growth at a sub-regional scale.

SDSs will be tested against four criteria: whether they are positive, appropriate, effective, and consistent with national policy. Where adopted, SDSs will play a central role in setting housing requirements and shaping local plans.

While the Government has decided not to introduce statutory National Development Management Policies at this stage, the draft NPPF incorporates a suite of national decision-making policies (Policies S3–S6). Local development plan policies that are inconsistent with these provisions would, once the new Framework is adopted, be afforded very limited weight in decision-making.

Housing Delivery and Support for SMEs

The draft NPPF places strong emphasis on increasing housing delivery through small and medium-sized sites, particularly in accessible locations (Policies HO1–HO6).

A new category of “medium development” is proposed, defined as residential schemes of 10–49 dwellings on sites of up to 2.5 hectares. This category is intended to benefit from policy and regulatory easements to support SME developers, including potential flexibility around affordable housing delivery and information requirements, subject to further consultation.

The draft also strengthens support for:

-Rural affordable and social housing;

-Accessible and adaptable homes for older and disabled people; and

-Greater flexibility in the market housing mix once affordable housing requirements have been met.

Town Centres

The draft promotes giving substantial weight to the economic benefits of proposals for commercial development and providing main town centre uses within such centres. Views on the retention of the sequential and impact tests for retail development are sought as part of the consultation.

Green Belt, Environment and Biodiversity

The draft continues the Government’s emphasis on Green Belt review and grey belt identification, with local plans expected to routinely assess Green Belt function and identify opportunities for development, including in locations around transport hubs (Policies GB2–GB3).

Alongside the NPPF consultation, the Government has confirmed that development sites under 0.2 hectares will be exempt from mandatory BNG requirements, subject to legislative change. Further consultation is promised on a targeted exemption for brownfield residential sites up to 2.5 hectares.

The draft NPPF also gives increased prominence to climate change mitigation and adaptation, renewable energy, sustainable transport and nature recovery (Policies CC1–CC3 and N1–N6). Notable proposals include mandatory swift bricks, enhanced protection for chalk streams, and a new chapter addressing clean energy and water infrastructure.

Heritage and Other Changes

The approach to heritage assets is refined aimed at providing greater clarity and consistency in how heritage impacts are assessed (Policy HE5). The approach to heritage assets is refined through the introduction of clearer distinctions between harm, substantial harm and total loss, alongside a new definition of substantial harm as development that would seriously affect a key element of an asset’s significance.

Elsewhere, the draft proposes:

-Greater clarity and consistency in the weight afforded to key considerations (with “substantial weight” used as the standard term);

-Streamlining of local standards to avoid duplication with Building Regulations; and

-Increased emphasis on economic growth, including substantial weight to the benefits of commercial development (Policy E2).

Next Steps

The consultation on the draft NPPF closes on 10 March 2026, and the Government has indicated that it intends the revised Framework to come into effect by mid-2026, alongside the new plan-making system.

Given the scale of the proposed changes, the detail of the final Framework, including transitional arrangements and the operation of the new decision-making policies, will be critical. Engagement with the consultation process will therefore be important to ensure that the reforms deliver greater certainty, consistency, and speed without unintended consequences.

We will continue to monitor the consultation closely and provide further analysis in the new year and as the proposals evolve. In the meantime, the Firstplan team are available to assist if needed.

Article prepared by: Jeannie Banks