The New NPPF: What Does It Mean for Your Development Site?
The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) came into effect on 17 August, bringing further, immediate, changes to the way development proposals will be considered across England.
The latest NPPF places greater emphasis on directing development towards sustainable locations and strengthens the Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development. The changes could have implications for existing planning applications, the way future Local Plans identify and allocate land, and the planning prospects of sites that may previously have been considered less favourably.
For landowners and developers, these changes could have a direct impact on the prospects of individual sites and how they are taken forward. We asked Michael Braithwaite, our Town Planner, to explain what the new NPPF could mean in practice.
Does the new NPPF make my site more or less likely to get planning permission?
It depends on the location and circumstances of the site, but the new NPPF does strengthen the Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development, which is already established in the Planning Act.
The NPPF sets out circumstances where a “presumed yes” should apply to planning applications, with a particular focus on sites within settlements. There are also circumstances where development may be supported in locations that might previously have presented greater challenges. For example, this could include sites at risk of flooding where appropriate flood defences form part of the proposals, or certain groups of buildings outside a settlement.
However, there are also situations where development may be less welcome. This can include sites outside a defined settlement boundary, even where they are adjacent to a settlement, as well as sites within a defined Coastal Change Management Area.
The impact of the new NPPF will ultimately depend on how its policies interact with the site's location, planning history and surrounding context.
What does it mean if my site is in or near the countryside?
The new NPPF places greater emphasis on the benefits of development being within a defined Settlement Boundary. This could be particularly significant in parts of Lincolnshire, where some current Local Plans rely on criteria for describing the extent of the “built footprint” of a settlement rather than having a clearly defined boundary.
The NPPF expects settlements, other than isolated groups of buildings, to be contained by a boundary line on the relevant Policy Map. The acceptance of development that is “outside but adjacent” to a settlement, which is a feature of some existing Local Plans, therefore appears to be reduced by the new NPPF.
That said, there are still opportunities to explore limited forms of development in more isolated locations. The important thing is to understand how the policies apply to each site rather than ruling it out simply because it is outside a settlement.
What does the new NPPF mean for housing sites coming through Local Plans?
There is potentially a significant change here. New Local Plans will have to treat their housing targets as a minimum level of provision, sometimes described as a “floor rather than a ceiling” for growth.
In practical terms, this means more sites will be required to meet housing needs.
The new development strategy will also place greater emphasis on locations where residents have good access to a full range of daily services, including employment, shops, schools, healthcare and open space, alongside the necessary infrastructure such as power, water and sewerage.
Reducing reliance on the private car will also be an important consideration. Equally, locations where new development could help to support or attract new services may have development potential.
This is particularly relevant for landowners considering whether to promote land through the Local Plan process. Most of the Lincolnshire Local Plans that were already underway, including those in North Lincolnshire, Fenland and South Kesteven, are being moved across to the new form of Local Plan.
All local authorities will also need to be starting work on a new Local Plan within the next eight months or so, as the deadline for giving four months' notice of an intention to start work on a new Local Plan is the end of December 2026.
For landowners, this makes it important to understand what is happening locally and whether there is an opportunity to promote land as part of the emerging process.
What happens to planning applications that are already in the planning system?
The new NPPF came into immediate operation when it was published on 17 August, so applications currently in the system will need to be assessed against it.
Where there is a material inconsistency between the NPPF and an existing Local Plan, the NPPF will take precedence, unless the Local Plan has been examined against the provisions of the new NPPF.
Policies that are materially inconsistent with the new NPPF are likely to be given very little weight in the decision-making process.
That does not mean that all existing Local Plan policies will suddenly carry little weight. Policies that are consistent with the overall “direction of travel” of the NPPF, while potentially taking account of local circumstances, should continue to be given full weight by the decision-maker.
For anyone with an application currently being considered, it is therefore worth looking again at the policy position rather than assuming that the application will simply be determined under the same circumstances that existed when it was submitted.
Could the changes make a previously unsuccessful or discounted site worth looking at again?
Potentially, yes. One of the important points to come out of any significant change to national planning policy is that a site's prospects can change.
A site that was previously considered difficult to develop may benefit from the new policy position, while another site could face additional challenges. This is particularly relevant to landowners who may have previously promoted land without success, had a planning application refused, or decided not to pursue a site because of the planning position at the time.
The new NPPF should not be viewed as an automatic route to planning permission, but it does provide a good reason to review the planning prospects of land that may previously have been discounted.
What should landowners and developers be doing now?
Landowners and developers should consider their landholdings, Local Plan proposals and planning applications and assess how they are affected by the new NPPF.
For current applications, there may be new issues that need to be considered. Equally, sites that were previously viewed less favourably could now have a more positive planning case. It is also worth looking beyond the NPPF itself. Local Plans are changing, and the way authorities identify and allocate land for future development is also evolving.
For landowners, understanding what is happening in your local area and where your site sits within that process will be important.
What does this mean for landowners?
The latest NPPF is another significant change to an already evolving planning system. For some sites, the changes may create new opportunities; for others, they may introduce additional challenges.
The key is to consider the changes in the context of the individual site, its surroundings and the relevant Local Plan, rather than relying on a general view of whether the new NPPF is “good” or “bad” for development.
If you own land that you are considering promoting for development, have an existing planning application, or have a site that has previously been unsuccessful, now could be a good time to review its position.
If you would like to understand what the new NPPF could mean for your land or development proposals, speak to a member of the RDC team. We can review the planning position and help you understand the options available to you, including the potential to promote your land through the Local Plan process.
