Local Plan Watch

The planning landscape has entered another significant period of change, with a new National Planning Policy Framework reshaping both plan-making and decision-making across England.

Published on 17th August, the new NPPF replaces the December 2024 Framework and represents one of the most significant changes to national planning policy in a generation. Its introduction has immediate implications for planning decisions across the country, including through new national development management policies and changes to the presumption in favour of sustainable development.

For Local Plan preparation, the effects will take longer to bed in. The immediate focus for many authorities remains the race to submit draft plans prepared under the ‘legacy’ system ahead of the Government’s deadline at the end of this year. Those plans will still be examined against the requirements of the previous Framework in most cases. Nevertheless, an increasing number of authorities are beginning to prepare ‘new style’ Local Plans, and the new NPPF provides greater certainty to guide their development and build momentum. It also delivers, for the first time, a policy framework for preparing Spatial Development Strategies across the whole of England.  

Our team is working through the implications of the new Framework and will be updating Local Plan Watch to reflect these significant changes to national policy. We will publish those updates in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, please speak to any member of our specialist local planning teams to understand what the changing planning landscape could mean for you.