Government to consult on further revisions to National Planning Policy Framework before end of year

The proposals – announced on Tuesday (18 November) – include a requirement that councils inform the Government when they are inclined to block applications of 150 homes or more.

The Government said this requirement would allow ministers to decide whether to step in and make the decision instead.

It also announced it aims to remove the mandatory requirement for inquiries for applications called in by ministers.

This would speed up the process and would include an option to consider matters through written representations before reaching a decision, the Government said. 

Additionally, the Government announced that particular attention will be paid to those applications where a planning committee intends to refuse it contrary to the advice of planning officers.

The changes will also see Sport England, The Gardens Trust and Theatres Trust removed from the list of organisations that have to be consulted by law on applications.

Other new measures will include default approval for housebuilding near “well-connected” train stations.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the changes would "give greater certainty and strength for development around well-connected rail stations".

It said that these reforms "will be proposed through a new pro-growth and rules-based National Planning Policy Framework, which will be consulted on later this year".

Further changes to the NPPF would mark the sixth time the document has been amended since 2019.

Commenting on the upcoming reforms, Housing Secretary Steve Reed said: "We're making it easier to build well-connected and high-quality homes, using stronger powers to speed things up if councils drag their feet, and proposing to streamline the consultation process to cut back delays.

"This is about action: spades in the ground, breathing new life into communities, and families finally getting the homes they need."

However, the District Councils’ Network (DCN) has hit out against today’s announcement, suggesting that the changes would “cut out the voice of local people”.

Cllr Richard Wright, DCN Chair and Planning spokesperson, said: “The whole essence of local democracy is that local people are empowered to take the big decisions about their place – but these proposals would ostracise local communities from the planning process.”

He added: “The planning system is not the barrier to building 1.5 million homes: inadequate water and electricity infrastructure stalls work, while developers have failed to build 1.4 million homes which have already received permission.

“My own council has given approval for 11,586 homes but less than half [5,323] have been built out. For many councils the planning permissions not built out exceeds their housing targets.”

Cllr Wright called on the Government to address slow build-out rates by handing councils powers to “prevent developers sitting on land”.

Adam Carey