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Poor quality or unattractive housing developments will be more easily changed by councils under new rules that form part of the revised National Planning Policy Framework, the government has claimed.
Publishing the revised framework today, following a public consultation earlier this year, the government said it would:
- promote high quality design of new homes and places
- offer stronger protection for the environment
- allow the construction of the right number of homes in the right places
- focus on greater responsibility and accountability for housing delivery from councils and developers.
The revision of the National Planning Policy Framework is part of the government’s ambition to build 300,000 new homes a year by the mid 2020s and incorporates 85 proposals set out in the housing white paper and the Budget.
Under the revised framework, councils will have the power to refuse permission for development that does not prioritise design quality and does not complement its surroundings.
It will also encourage councils to make use of new visual tools to promote better design and quality and will set a strategic direction for driving up new build quality, although it will remain up to councils to apply these policies in the most appropriate way in their area.
Greater importance on air quality
Meanwhile, the framework has also been updated to provide further protection for biodiversity, aligning the planning system more closely with the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) 25-year Environment Plan, which offers more protection for habitats and places greater importance on air quality when deciding development proposals.
The framework also sets out a new way for councils to calculate the housing need for their local community, with the aim of delivering more homes where they are most needed, and from November 2018 councils will have a Housing Delivery Test, focused on driving up the number of homes delivered in an area, rather than how many are planned for.
Communities secretary James Brokenshire said: "Fundamental to building the homes our country needs is ensuring that our planning system is fit for the future.
"This revised planning framework sets out our vision of a planning system that delivers the homes we need. I am clear that quantity must never compromise the quality of what is built, and this is reflected in the new rules."
Donald Proud, partner at construction consultancy Pellings, was cautiously positive about the new NPPF guidelines, but warned that the burden placed on local planning authorities to produce and update policies and strategies and engage with architects and developers may be challenging.
"It is positive that there are clear definitions on the presumption in favour of sustainable development and I welcome for example the guidance on upward extension, as this is an area that many of our clients such as large social landlords are interested in exploring.
"It is also positive to see the emphasis on good design and that the quality of the permitted scheme is not materially diminished between permission and completion.
"However, the potential benefits the NPPF offers rely on local planning authorities being sufficiently resourced to produce good strategies, plans and guidance, and in the current climate for local authorities where they have seen cuts in funding from central government of 40% this will continue to be a tough ask."
