What you need to know about the Government’s planning reforms

The Govt will shortly finalise its National Planning Policy Framework, the most important shake-up of the planning system for almost 30 years. This media briefing sets out the story so far and what issues to look out for when this highly controversial document is published.

Date of Publication

The exact date of the publication of the final NPPF is still unknown, but the Government has made clear that it will be issued before the end of March. There has been significant speculation that its publication may coincide with the Budget (Wednesday 21 March). This would be a good day to bury bad news, or to incorrectly assert that the overriding purpose of the reformed planning system is to deliver economic growth.

Background

The Government is seeking to reform the planning system radically. It is doing this by scrapping existing national planning guidance, set out in Planning Policy Statements and Planning Policy Guidance, and replacing it with a single, much shorter document called the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). This single document is to set the framework within which local plans will be prepared, will be relevant to decisions on planning applications, and will inform decisions on planning appeals. It will have a profound effect on decisions affecting the development and use of land for years to come.


Points of agreement and contention

There is wide agreement that the planning system needs to be reformed to improve public involvement. Giving more say to local communities in planning decisions formed a key part of the coalition agreement. It is also generally accepted that we need to increase housing supply, including affordable rural housing, and support the sustainable development of rural businesses.

However, following the release of the draft framework, which was subject to public consultation for three months from July last year, it became clear that some parts of the Government, particularly the Treasury and Department for Business, wanted to change the role of planning to make it a tool for facilitating economic growth above all else. This was reflected in the tone of the draft NPPF, which many believed to be unacceptably biased in favour of short term economic considerations. It is important that the planning system does what it can to facilitate sustainable economic growth, but it has other equally important functions. The draft failed to give sufficient weight to the environmental and social purposes of planning.

Key issues to look out for in the final NPPF

CPRE raised a number of significant concerns about the draft NPPF which we believe would not help promote development that is genuinely sustainable. In summary, we believe the final NPPF should be improved to:

- recognise the intrinsic value of unprotected countryside which covers more than half of England, and set out stronger policies to protect the Green Belt and specially designated areas;

- retain an explicit ’brownfield first’ policy to promote urban regeneration and efficient use of land by ensuring previously developed land is used before greenfield sites, as well as effective integration of transport and land use planning;


- define sustainable development so that environmental limits are respected and pursued alongside other objectives, rather than giving primacy to economic development;

- reinforce the plan-led system and ensure appropriate transitional arrangements are put in place to allow time for up to date local plans to be developed; and

- promote, rather than undermine, the delivery of affordable housing in appropriate locations to meet identified needs, particularly in rural areas.