Govt publishes ‘landmark overhaul’ of NPPF
Councils will have 12 weeks from today to ensure new local plans are up-to-date with the revised National Planning Policy Framework, which reintroduces mandatory housing targets, requires Green Belt reviews, and increases the number of years for which authorities must demonstrate a housing land supply.
The revised NPPF is meant to enable the government to achieve its goal of delivering of 370,000 homes a year, with 1.5m homes in total being built during this Parliament.
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said: “From day one I have been open and honest about the scale of the housing crisis we have inherited.
“This mission-led government will not shy away from taking the bold and decisive action needed to fix it for good.”
Speaking specifically about the revised NPPF, Rayner said: “Today’s landmark overhaul will sweep away last year’s damaging changes and shake up a broken planning system which caves into the blockers and obstructs the builders.
“I will not hesitate to do what it takes to build 1.5m new homes over five years and deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housebuilding in a generation.”
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Savills has created a handy chart for digesting the big changes to the NPPF, which you can see below or download. As a note, the standard method has been “largely unchanged”, rather than “unchanged”.
Here is a slightly longer rundown of three major changes in the new NPPF.
The return of housing targets
Mandatory annual housing targets are officially back, but with a big caveat.
Many towns and more rural areas have a steep increase in the number of homes expected to be delivered, with Redcar and Cleveland’s target increasing from 45 to 642. In Yorkshire, Doncaster Council’s target will rise from 536 to 1,053. Similarly, in the North West Westmorland and Furness Council will go from having to deliver 227 homes to 1,430.
The allocation for the totality of the North is 77,452 homes to be delivered a year. Last year, the region only saw 55,912 homes built.
Green Belt, Grey Belt, and brownfield
Local authorities will need to closely examine their current Green Belt designations, with the goal of spotlighting any potential Grey Belt opportunities. Grey Belt would be Green Belt sites that are of lower quality – essentially sites that have had previous development on them.
Grey Belt is formally defined in the NPPF as previously developed Green Belt land that does not “check the unrestricted sprawl of large built-up areas” or “prevent neighbouring towns merging into one another” or “preserve the setting and special character of historic towns”. Grey Belt also “excludes land where the application of the policies relating to the areas or assets… would provide a strong reason for refusing or restricting development.”
These sites are to be deemed as possible locations for housing, employment, and industrial development.
Should a developer go the Grey Belt route, though, they will have some “golden rules” to follow.
These protected pieces of land have increased regulation aimed at encouraging the delivery of social and affordable homes, as well as requirements for infrastructure to be included in the application. This includes the building of nurseries, GP surgeries, and transport links.
Though Grey Belt offers the potential for more Green Belt release, the new NPPF still prioritises brownfield land as the preferred route for delivery.
Local plan pre-eminence
Gone are the days when councils could delay delivering a local plan. The new NPPF provides government with more powers to ensure councils adopt up-to-date local plans.
Local authorities will have 12 weeks to commit to a timetable to ensure new local plans are compliant with the new NPPF. The new NPPF will apply starting on 12 March.
The revised NPPF also requires older local plans – ones that will still be in place from July 2026 onwards – to be adjusted to show a six-year housing supply rather than the customary five.
While details are lacking, a press release announcing the changes threatened that “ministers will not hesitate to use their existing suite of intervention powers to ensure plans are put in place”.
When local plans and spatial development strategies are crafted, they will need to be accompanied by a sustainability appraisal demonstrating how the plan will meet goals for the economy, society, and environment. If these three areas are to be impacted negatively by proposed development, there must be mitigation measures put into place.
To help councils with the delivery of local plans and their Green Belt reviews, the government has created a £14.8m fund. Those local authorities who want assistance will have to submit an expression of interest to the government by 17 January.
‘Builders, not blockers’
Prime Minister Keir Starmer voiced his support for the planning changes.
“With a generation of young people whose dream of homeownership feels like a distant reality, and record levels of homelessness, there’s no shying away from the housing crisis we have inherited,” he said.
“We owe it to those working families to take urgent action, and that is what this government is doing,” Starmer continued.
“Our Plan for Change will put builders not blockers first, overhaul the broken planning system, and put roofs over the heads of working families, and drive the growth that will put more money in people’s pockets.”
The new NPPF is just one element of the government’s strategy for increasing housing delivery. Another is the Planning Reform Working Paper, which outlines a series of changes to how planning committees operate.
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Analysis
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Planning reform, however radical, will not move the dial on the UK’s sluggish housing delivery record unless the government also commits to significant grant funding to unlock sites in the North of England.
Lap it up now, whilst you can: it’s as though this government knows it only has one term before another 15 – 20 years in the wilderness. If Labour think the great British public will allow them to desecrate the green belt, they’re in for one heck of an awakening.
By Anonymous
Stockport will be crapping themselves. Serves them right for their terrible behaviour. The Lib Dems should be ashamed.
By Stockport Man
Nowhere for Stockport council to hide now. Time for the ‘politicians’ to put their big boy pants on and create a local plan.
By Peter Black
@12:17 pm By Anonymous
I don’t think most people will quickly forget how incompetent the Tories were over the last 14 years. Once Labour get some improvements in public services especially the NHS they can argue they need another five years to complete the job and not risk a return to the Conservatives.
By Dom
This country is doomed. Today will be remembered as the day when democracy died. I predict mass migration to Australia, New Zeland and Canada. They take great pride in their green open spaces and environment unlike this socialist government.
By Keith Howard
Bad time to be a NIMBY councillor in Stockport and Trafford!
By Anonymous
Very refreshing to have the ‘pro-growth’ coalition back in power after 14 long years of self-sabotage. Instead of just blaming the EU or immigrants for our lack of growth like the weak politicians we had in Number 10 up to July, Labour have got to the very heart of the issue: housing and infrastructure. Unleash these and the UK economy will be flying in no time.
They still cancelled HS2 though. Still bitter about that
By it's ok don't panic
£14.8m is basically nothing across 317 local authorities, less than 50k per authority. The seeming intentional vagueness of Grey Belt is very concerning, going to lead ot even more decision-making by appeal.
By Anonymous
Not all 317 local authorities will receive the funding, they will have to apply for it.
By Julia Hatmaker
Does it apply to planning applications submitted from today or 12th March?
By Anonymous
I’m extremely anti labour from a personal pov, but their approach to planning is really needed. If things are left in the hands of small minded nimby local councils, like the past decade, nothing will get done.
By Anonymous
@12:17 pm By Anonymous
Most of the Great British Public don’t get any benefit from the existence of the Green Belt and don’t care about it. The people who care most about the Green Belt aren’t Labour voters anyway.
By Sten
@ 1:16 pm By Keith Howard
The government were voted in on the basis of exactly these reforms, it was in their manifesto. Does it only count as democracy when you get what you personally want?
By Sten
An excellent headline for Labour and hopefully this will lead to an increase in new homes being built. If we add a bit of wishful thinking, some may even be affordable 2 bed units that the likes of my son, a 25yr old working full-time with a deposit etc. and no hope of getting on current ‘the ladder’. But… I work in the industry and sadly I don’t think Angela and friends have spoken to anyone within the construction supply chain (both material or labour).. Even as they quote the soundbites, most in the industry know the numbers quoted are sadly cobblers..
By G McCain
About time we had a radical Government prepared to take on the status quo. Planning inertia caused by local councillors is a major problem for construction and growth, the country needs to get on and build.
By Anonymous
Rip up the Town and Country Planning act too. Also remove all planning decisions from councilors, leave it to officers.
By Allergic to Squirrels
Absolute pie in the sky figures. There is a trades shortage which will means this figure will not be reached. No mention of expensive mortgages or stamp duty stopping buyers.
By Jon P
This is one big step towards a more sane approach to planning in this country but the idea that we are going to build 1.5m home in this country by the end of this Parliament is for the fairies. And that means locally that Mayor Burnham’s ambitions to deliver 75,000 homes in the same period will also not happen.
Why? A number of reasons: A chronic shortage of skilled labour; the devastating time delay impacts associated with the Gateway 2 and 3 Processes overseen by the Building Safety Regulator; and a very challenging funding market to get parts of the housing market financed.
Message to Kier, Angela, & Andy – there is a lot more to be fixed to get the housing market moving. Good start but alot more to do.
By Anonymous
The irony of this plan is it was Boris Johnstones idea and he went as far as having a KC (QC then) draft a new NPPF, however he bottled it when a SPAD pointed out all the development needs to be in the Tory heartlands and you will lose these to the Lib Dems who albiet want development knew the only way they could get any seats was on a green belt NIMBY ticket. SO if you think the tories will reverse this your deluded.
By acivilservant
Australia, New Zeland and Canada are surrounded by massive natural parks and open space. The housing crisis in the UK is rife. It’s not even a comparison.
By Get real
I see that people still fall for Liebours marxist lies and simplistic slogans .
By Anonymous
The shortage of skilled workers is another problem the Government must solve. School should be followed by work training for all. Have Occupation Colleges like German has, with universal Apprenticeships, Fellows, Masters — not the anarchic semi-skilled on-the-job training multiple intransparent puzzling mess of qualifications we have. Take the responsibility away from business managers (they are proven failures) and make government responsible. Millions without work skills and we wonder why we are so relatively poor compared to our continental neighbors. Get it sorted.
By Anonymous
We cannot keep allowing these NIMBYs to rule the roost. We have already lost HS2 because of unnecessary tunnels in the South East, escalating the cost. The tedious, selfish people need to be reined in. People need houses. Build them, and on Greenbelt if nothing else is available.
By Elephant
The only people celebrating this will be the private house builders, counting all the profits they can make. We can build where we want and not have local councils dictating this. We won’t have to provide affordable homes either. This is a kick in the teeth to people who care about affordable housing. We will watch our countryside being destroyed but at the same time housing affordability will not change!.
Labour plan is doomed to fail they will not prevail. They will be out of office very soon. They are anti British!
By BD