Government Sets Out Major Planning Reforms

In the days leading up to the parliamentary recess over Christmas, the Government set out a series of significant announcements on planning reform, housing delivery and infrastructure. Together, these measures include new legislation, proposed changes to national planning policy, and the launch of a formal consultation on a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

On 18 December, the Government confirmed that its Planning and Infrastructure Bill had received Royal Assent, becoming law before Parliament rose for the Christmas recess.

The new Act is positioned as a central pillar of the Government’s growth agenda and its ambition to deliver 1.5 million homes, alongside accelerating major infrastructure delivery.

Key measures in the Act include:

• Changes to reduce delays and costs in the planning system for homes and nationally significant infrastructure.
• Powers to modernise planning committees, enabling elected councillors to focus on the most significant applications while smaller schemes are determined more quickly.
• New provisions to speed up delivery of large-scale housing and infrastructure, including support for new towns and development corporations.
• Measures to accelerate energy, water and transport infrastructure, including reservoirs, electricity connections and clean energy projects.
• Reforms to legal challenge processes for major infrastructure, limiting repeated challenges in certain circumstances.
• Introduction of a Nature Restoration Fund, allowing environmental mitigation to be delivered at scale while supporting development.

The Government has confirmed that further detail on the phasing and commencement of remaining measures in the Act will be set out in the coming months.

Read the official announcement here.

Alongside the legislation, the Government published proposals for significant revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework, described as the most substantial rewrite of national planning policy in over a decade.

Key proposals include:

• A default “yes” to suitable homes being built around rail stations, alongside minimum housing density rules.
• A similar “yes” to building upwards in towns and cities to support higher-density development.
• Measures to make it easier for developers, particularly SME builders, to deliver higher-density housing on smaller sites and under-used land.
• Introduction of a new “medium site” category (10–49 homes), with proportionate requirements and costs for SME builders.
• Streamlining standards on energy efficiency and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) to provide greater certainty for development proposals.
• Stronger encouragement for a diverse mix of housing, including rural affordable homes and accessible housing for older and disabled people.
• A requirement for nature-friendly features, such as swift bricks, in new developments.
• Preferential treatment for developments that strengthen local economies and provide new services, including shops, leisure facilities and food production.

Additional funding and support were also announced for local planning authorities and SME builders, alongside reforms intended to speed up decision-making on smaller housing schemes.

Read the full announcement here.

In a written ministerial statement published before the recess, the Minister for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook, set out the next phase of the Government’s planning reforms.

The statement confirms that the Government has published a more comprehensive and rules-based overhaul of the NPPF for consultation. The revised framework introduces clearer national policies for both plan-making and decision-taking, intended to make development decisions more consistent and predictable across England.

Highlighted proposals include:

• A permanent presumption in favour of sustainable development.
• A default “yes” for suitable development around rail stations, including well-connected stations outside settlements.
• Measures to drive urban and suburban densification.
• Stronger national support for a diverse mix of homes, including rural social and affordable housing and clearer expectations for accessible housing.
• Expanded support for small and medium-sized sites, including increasing the maximum size of the new medium category to 2.5 hectares.
• New national requirements covering swift bricks, sustainable drainage systems, protection for chalk streams, and inclusive play facilities for children.
• Further exemptions and simplified requirements for Biodiversity Net Gain on the smallest sites.

Read the Minister’s full statement here.

Alongside these announcements, the Government launched a formal consultation on proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework, including a draft revised framework and associated changes to the wider planning system.

The consultation seeks views on proposed changes to national planning policy, including new decision-making policies, reforms to site thresholds, housing delivery, environmental policy, and measures intended to make the planning system clearer and more rules-based.

Further details about the consultation can be found here.

The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 10 March 2026.