Where you are:

Housing LIN > Resources > Resource Library > Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework

Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework

Minstry of Housing Communities and Local Gov logo

This consultation seeks views on the government's proposed approach to revising the National Planning Policy Framework in England in order to achieve the government’s ambition for sustainable growth in the planning system.

In particular, it proposes specific changes that it seeks to implement immediately to the NPPF following this consultation. These changes – amending the planning framework, and universal, ambitious local plan coverage – are seen as vital to deliver the Government’s commitments to achieve economic growth and build 1.5 million new homes. Specifically, they will:

  • make the standard method for assessing housing needs mandatory, requiring local authorities to plan for the resulting housing need figure, planning for a lower figure only when they can demonstrate hard constraints and that they have exhausted all other options;
  • reverse other changes to the NPPF made in December 2023 which they consider were detrimental to housing supply;
  • implement a new standard method and calculation to ensure local plans are ambitious enough to support the Government’s manifesto commitment of 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament;
  • broaden the existing definition of ‘brownfield’ land, set a strengthened expectation that applications on brownfield land will be approved and that plans should promote an uplift in density in urban areas;
  • identify ‘grey belt’ land within the Green Belt, to be brought forward into the planning system through both plan and decision-making to meet development needs;
  • improve the operation of ‘the presumption’ in favour of sustainable development, to ensure it acts an effective failsafe to support housing supply, by clarifying the circumstances in which it applies; and, introducing new safeguards, to make clear that its application cannot justify poor quality development;
  • deliver affordable, well-designed homes, with new “golden rules” for land released in the Green Belt to ensure it delivers in the public interest;
  • make wider changes to ensure that local planning authorities are able to prioritise the types of affordable homes their communities need on all housing development and that the planning system supports a more diverse housebuilding sector;
  • support economic growth in key sectors, aligned with the Government’s industrial strategy and future local growth plans, including laboratories, gigafactories, datacentres, digital economies and freight and logistics – given their importance to our economic future;
  • deliver community needs to support society and the creation of healthy places; and
  • support clean energy and the environment, including through support for onshore wind and renewables.

There is a single mention of older people’s housing in the consultation in paragraph 6, where it is grouped with ‘mixed-use developments’ that could also include student accommodation, custom or self-build housing. Additional discussion on community-led approaches and almshouses can be found in paragraphs 12-14.

Regarding design, paragraphs 10-12 address the character and density of schemes, highlighting design quality and the development of local Design Codes. However, there is no reference to incorporating accessible or adaptable homes for older people or individuals with disabilities, nor to mainstreaming age-friendly approaches.