The Housing Forum has responded to the Government’s consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). We welcome the approach of streamlining planning and have made the following key points in our response:
- We support the introduction of Spatial Development Strategies, and support the ambition that they are “genuinely strategic in nature”, to avoid unhelpful duplication with Local Plans. They must provide the clarity and certainty to attract the investment needed to deliver the vision and ambition of an area.
- The under-resourcing of local authorities continues to pose a threat to the government’s ambitions on planning reform, and in particular of the creation of faster Local Plans.
- The Housing Forum is supportive of the principle of national building regulations coveringthings that are of national (or global) significance, such as carbon emissions, and not duplicating or contradicting these in Local Plans. To build support for this approach, it is vital that the Government publishes the Future Homes Standard, and also progresses legislation around embodied carbon in a timely fashion.
- We are pleased to see a focus on standardising planning validation requirements. Our report Planning validation requirementsexplained why these are a problem at present.
- We support the focus on mixed tenure, but believe the threshold should be around 500, to allow separate blocks of each tenure for higher density housing.
- We support the increased flexibility of the size of market homesprovided. All housing meets a need, and flexibility can increase viability.
- We are pleased to see the recognition that changing the character of an area should not be a barrier to delivery of new homes, and increasing densities. Government should set expectations around densities, encourage ambition and unblock the barriers to higher density where possible. However, the precise levels of density to require on each site are best left to LPAs.
- We support the focus on higher levels of affordable housing on greenbelt sites,but are concerned that blanket rules could render some sites unviable. Our report on The Cost of Building a House explained why this is.
- We are concerned with suggestions that LPAs should be assessing site-level viability when making Local Plans. This could divert significant resource away from other tasks, and will be outdated and too high level to be useful later on.
- Weurge the Government to find ways to engage further with industry and with local authorities on the issues around viability before proceeding with major changes to policy that carry heavy risks. The Housing Forum would be happy to help facilitate further conversations on this issue.
You can read our response in full HERE.
We have also responded to the parallel consultation on its new Design and Placemaking Planning Guidance. We are broadly supportive of the changes that are being proposed. Streamlining helps to avoid duplication and simplifies the process, but believe further reforms may be necessary. You can read our response in full HERE