Industry reacts to new NPPF

The industry has reacted positively to the government’s new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), with changes including enacting recent announcements on development close to train stations and a possible exemption for smaller sites from the Building Safety Levy.

Catherine Williams, planning director of the Home Builders Federation, commented: “The draft NPPF reinforces government’s commitment to reforming the planning system and removing barriers to homebuilding, retaining a clear focus on sustainable development while protecting the natural environment.

“Proposals to reduce the complexity should help to reduce delays, speeding up the time it takes to get permissioned sites to the point when homes can be built and giving some much-needed encouragement to a dwindling number of local SME home builders. This progressive approach is urgently required if the industry is going to reverse the trend of recent years that has seen a decline in the number of homes being consented.”

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has launched a consultation on its revisions to the NPPF.

Key proposals include introducing a new “medium site” category for sites between ten to 49 homes “so SME builders face proportionate rules and costs for their site size”. Under …