Member Article

With just days left till Christmas, the government has revealed more details on its proposed approach to planning reform with a draft National Planning Policy Framework released for consultation.

Views are also being sought on a proposed approach to preparing National Development Management Policies, levelling up policy, and how national planning policy is currently accessed by users, but not as yet on the much needed funding for these changes.

The prospectus outlines potential changes to planning, which alongside the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, are aimed at placing ‘local communities at the heart of the planning system’.

Ahead of the announcement, Karen Howard and Alex Jones from Shoosmiths’ planning team examined the current policy landscape and the further changes that could be made to the planning system, including an increased focus on the beautification of developments and enhanced measures to ensure developers build out the projects for which they already have planning.

The government is now running a consultation on all proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework. It opened on 22 December 2022 and closes on 2 March 2023.