New planning rules also include protections for pubs and music venues
New homes near well-connected transport hubs will be subject to a default ‘yes’ under revisions to planning rules introduced today.
The new rules could unlock thousands of new homes around England’s train, tram and underground stations, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), which also announced new minimum expectations for how much housing will be built in these areas.
“By unlocking thousands of homes around well-connected transport hubs, we’re helping people live closer to work, school and the services they rely on, while backing local businesses and driving growth in our communities,” said housing secretary Angela Rayner.
“That’s how we’ll tackle the housing crisis and raise living standards for people in every corner of the country.”
Angus Irvine, partner at strategic property consultancy Rapleys, said the default “yes” policy was “sensible in principle, but it should not be presented as an entirely new solution to the housing crisis”, adding that applications would still be determined against the wider development plan and other relevant considerations.
He said the government “must not confuse what is consentable with what is deliverable”, urging action on viability, affordability, infrastructure delivery and the cumulative burden of regulation.
Other changes will make it easier for councils to approve developments that create jobs, reduce information for smaller schemes and create a new category of “medium” development.
The new NPPF also reduces blanket consultation requirements for planning decisions, with councils no longer needing sign off from public bodies where specialist advice is not needed.
Sport England will still advise on significant cases, while the Gardens Trust and Theatres Trust will still be notified of relevant applications.
MHCLG confirmed that there would be a 40% national minimum number of accessible homes on major developments - a policy previously described as a “significant step backwards” by campaigners.
The revised NPPF will also introduce new protections for pub and music venues, to protect them from conversion or demolition “without good reason”.
Paul Wakefield, legal planning partner at law firm Shakespeare Martineau, said the revised NPPF was “far firmer and more prescriptive” and made it clear the government “is serious about tackling the housing crisis and driving forward development”.
However, he warned that the “the political winds are changing”, suggesting that newly-formed, non-Labour councils “may challenge development decisions”, meaning the government’s planning policy changes “may ultimately be derailed before they deliver”.
Gavin Smart, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Housing, welcomed the planning changes, describing the direction of travel as “positive”.
“We need a planning system that can unlock more homes, connect housing growth with the infrastructure communities need and put quality and affordability at the heart of development,” he said.
“But increasing supply cannot simply mean a focus on numbers alone. We need to protect the mechanisms that deliver affordable homes, make sure all new homes are accessible and climate resilient, and give local planning teams the resources they need to turn policy into homes on the ground.”
Fergus Charlton, planning partner at law firm Michelmores, said the new protections for pubs and music venues was “an example of decisions on land-use overriding commercial decisions”.
He added: “The all-too-familiar empty carcasses of un-valued failed pubs lying derelict in towns and villages are monuments to this upended decision-making policy. In the face of a housing crisis, planning policy should allow them to convert.”
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