Labour’s National Planning Policy Framework to Deliver 1.5m New Homes
James Firth
Jul, 30 2024Revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) have today been published by the new Labour Government which aim to deliver radical reforms and a pro-growth planning system to meet the manifesto pledge to build1.5m homes. The proposals are out for public consultation with adoption planned for late September. They will have significant impacts on planning projects, as well as landowners and developers more widely.
Some of the key updates include:
- Changes to the presumption in favour of sustainable development where policies for the supply of land are out of date
- Introduction of a requirement to review Green Belts where insufficient brownfield land is available to meet needs for housing, commercial, or other developments
- Increased emphasis on affordable housing delivery
- New mandatory housing targets using a revised standard methodology to reflect the urgency of supply in individual local authority areas
- Introduction of a stronger affordability ratio to better reflect housing need in areas with highest prices
- Reintroduction of requirements for five-year land supply and the opportunity to take forward planning applications where local plans are not delivering
- Increased support for mixed tenure sites
- Changes to the test for redevelopment of previously developed land in the green belt (para 151 g) to raise the bar from ‘greater impact on openness’ to ‘substantial harm’ to openness; potentially allowing for a greater amount of development to be delivered on brownfield sites
- Removal of term ‘beauty’ pushed by the previous Conservative government
- A new definition of Grey Belt land, which is defined as land that is previously developed land or other parcels that make a limited contribution to the five Green Belt purposes
- Grey Belt sites coming forward for housing, commercial and other development will not be regarded as inappropriate where they provide for additional contributions, such as 50% affordable housing, infrastructure and green spaces for the public.
- Local plans are required to identify suitable sites for renewable and local carbon energy and should ‘support applications for all forms of renewable and low carbon development’
- Deletion of the wording of footnote 64 that previously required consideration of the availability of land for food production
- Increased viability requirements for Green Belt sites where policy compliant contributions cannot be achieved (Annex 4)
- New transitional arrangements to reflect the point each local planning authority has reached in the local plan making process
- Ministerial decisions are to be made within 13 weeks
Alongside these changes, the requirement for councils to have a local plan in place continue and the Government have committed to stepping in where authorities are failing to deliver.
Homes England funding is to be made flexible to support housing delivery. In addition, councils, housing associations and other providers will be required to deliver genuinely affordable housing. This will be supported by the Government with investment, changes to borrowing rules and rent stability.
These are significant changes to the planning system that will have an impact on all forms of development. There will be additional opportunities for landowners, developers and those focused on the delivery of much needed homes and jobs.