Overview
The Government has this week published a consultation version of intended changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), seeking to achieve sustainable growth within the planning system. It is accompanied by a consultation document listing 106 questions, seeking views on a series of wider policy proposals in relation to increasing planning fees, local plan intervention criteria and appropriate thresholds for certain Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.
Boosting Housing Delivery: A New Standard Method
Central to the changes, is a concerted effort to boost housing delivery through the reintroduction of mandatory housing targets, using a new Standard Method which better reflects the urgency of supply in individual local authority areas. This new method will be based on housing stock, instead of household predictions; and incorporates an uplift where house prices are most out of step with local incomes. Currently, calculating local housing need has been based on 2014 housing projections, which is bolstered for affordability albeit with a cap to protect the least affordable areas from having to meet their needs. In announcing the proposed changes, Angela Rayner stated “The collective total of these local targets will therefore rise from some 300,000 a year to just over 370,000 a year”.
Regional Housing Requirements and Green Belt Review
In her Statement to the House, Angela Rayner relayed that the London housing requirement will come down from 100,000 homes (due to the removal of the 35% urban uplift), to around 80,000 per year, which she stated was still a huge ask. Every other region in the country outside of London will see an increase in their local housing need numbers, with over two-thirds of authorities seeing their numbers go up by over 200 homes a year.
The Government will seek to place a requirement on councils to review their green belts when insufficient brownfield land for homes is available, with ‘grey belt’ land coming first. A definition of what constitutes grey belt land will be published. Where Green and Grey belt sites come forward, they will require 50% affordable housing, and a focus on social rent, as well as requiring infrastructure such as schools, GP surgeries and transport links.
Supporting Local Authorities and Housing Associations
Recognising that supply is essential to improving affordability, Ms Rayner specifically called on Local Authorities and Housing Associations to help deliver a ‘council house revolution’. Seeking to address the issue, intended changes are to be delivered through increased Government investment, changes to borrowing rules and rent stability with a more prominent role for Homes England. To support the existing stock, wider changes are also proposed to Right to Buy, although that is anticipated to be delayed until the next spending review.
The consultation version of the revised NPPF seeks to make a series of changes, which include:
- Changing the focus of the tilted balance in favour of sustainable development, from assessing the basket of most important policies, to policies for the supply of land [paragraph 11d]
- The addition of ‘looked after children’ added into the groups to be assessed for local housing needs, as part of an emphasis on tackling the social care crisis [paragraph 63]
- Embracing economic growth, with an emphasis on laboratories, gigafactories, data centres, digital infrastructure, as well as freight and logistics [paragraph 84 & 85]
- Refocusing design policy on good design rather than ‘beauty’ [paragraph 86, 94 & Section 12]
- Exceptional circumstances for changing Green Belt boundaries are now clearly set out [paragraph 142]
- New categorisation of “not inappropriate” development within the Green Belt introduced [paragraph 152], if on grey belt land and (a) would not fundamentally undermine the Green Belt as a whole; (b) there is no five year housing supply or the Housing Delivery Test is below 75% or demonstrable local, regional or national need for land release; and (c) development meets the requirements of paragraph 155.
- Where major development is released from the Green Belt, a requirement that (a) 50% affordable housing is provided (subject to viability), (b) improvements to infrastructure are delivered; and (c) good access to quality green spaces are provided [paragraph 155].
- Significant weight now given to ‘all forms” of renewable and low carbon energy development [paragraph 164]
- Amendments to the transitional arrangements used for plan-making that were introduced in the December 2023 version, seeking closer alignment with local housing needs [paragraph 226].
- For those Council’s seeking to adopt plans formed under transitional arrangements, a requirement to then update to the new NPPF as soon as possible to address housing needs under the new NPPF [paragraph 227].
Annex 2 to the proposed changed NPPF, defines Grey Belt land as ‘land in the green belt comprising Previously Developed Land and any other parcels and/or areas of Green Belt land that make a limited contribution to the five Green Belt purposes (as defined in para 140 of this Framework), but excluding those areas or assets of particular importance (as listed in footnote 7, other than land designated as Green Belt)’.
Next Steps and Public Participation
The consultation on these proposals is open until 11:45 pm on Tuesday, September 24, 2024. The outcome of this consultation will determine which aspects of the proposed changes will be implemented. The Government’s Written Ministerial Statement, which provides further details, is already considered a material planning consideration in current planning decisions.
For those wishing to provide feedback, the consultation documents, including a tracked change version of the proposed NPPF, are available online:
- Ministerial Statement
- A tracked change version of the proposed NPPF is viewable
- Consultation / Online Survey
- Outcomes of how the new revised method for calculating local housing need would change targets in every local planning authority is available
Contact Us
Should you have any queries on how these changes may potentially affect you, please do not hesitate to contact a member of our planning team via email at planning@argroup.co.uk or 01604 880 163.