In England, Planning Reform has been the mainstay characteristic of recent times. The changes since December 2024 are starting to show results. Better alignment across a patchwork of plans, frameworks and regimes will be central to meet ambitions for new home delivery and employment space provision in the coming years.

Changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in 2024 and as anticipated this year are beginning to impact how local authorities are planning for growth, reflected in their most recent land supply positions and our modelled projection of Housing Delivery Test results. The full impact remains limited and uneven, with no immediate effect on the pipeline of deliverable sites gaining consent, despite high volumes of applications progressing through the system. Until we see a boost in activity, the lag between reform and delivery continues to be a defining feature of the current planning landscape.

For developers, the evolving environment presents both opportunity and complexity. A range of pathways exist for councils to bring forward local plans, each of which will change the context and potentially outcomes for development sites coming forward. The Government’s emphasis on strategic planning (to be led by new and existing strategic authorities) is intended to streamline delivery, align new infrastructure with strategic growth (notably residential and commercial) and provide greater certainty over the long term, but there are policy details to resolve, particularly the alignment of existing frameworks within the system. In the meantime, it is anticipated that there will continue to be an upward trend in the use of planning appeals (and referrals to the secretary of state) noting a trend for more major appeals being allowed.

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