The Government has today announced it has updated the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) as part of its mission to deliver 1.5 million new homes by 2029.
Under the updated framework, councils will face mandatory housing targets of 370,000 homes per year, focusing on high-demand areas and "grey belt" land for development. This aims to boost affordable housing and provide security for families.
The NPPF also introduces "golden rules" for greenbelt development, requiring developers to provide essential infrastructure, such as schools and transport, alongside affordable housing. Councils must also update local plans to meet targets and prioritise land with lower environmental value.
To support this, the Government is investing £100 million and adding 300 new planning officers to speed up decision-making. These reforms aim to address the housing crisis, with over 1.3 million households on social housing waiting lists.
On the NPPF, Neil Jefferson, Chief Executive at the Home Builders Federation (HBF) says: “The swift moves to address the constraints in the planning system are welcome and underline the Government’s commitment to increasing housing delivery, but further policy interventions are needed if we are to meet the ambitious target.
“Demand for new homes is supressed by a lack of affordable mortgage lending and support for first-time buyers in particular is desperately needed. We also need to release the tens of thousands of unsold affordable homes provided by house builders as part of their planning permissions, that cash-strapped Housing Associations are not able to currently acquire; and a solution to the unnecessary nutrient neutrality issue that is holding up around 160,000 new homes. Ensuring local authority planning departments have sufficient capacity to process applications efficiently will also be key.
“If Government can create a climate within which the industry can deliver it will do so, providing high-quality new homes, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs, and boosting economies and communities across the country.”