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The Government has published a substantially restructured National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), replacing the previous Framework and introducing a clearer separation between policies for plan-making and policies for determining planning applications. Although many familiar planning principles remain, the August 2026 NPPF contains a number of important changes which will affect local authorities, developers and landowners. A more structured planning system One of the most

We’re absolutely delighted to have secured planning permission for the change of use of a former hotel to residential use on the North Cornwall coast. This was a rewarding application to be involved in, requiring a strong case on policy, viability and environmental impact. The application required careful consideration because the site lies in the open countryside, outside any defined settlement, and is subject to a number of environmental and landscape designations, includin

The Government’s new draft guidance on planning committees, published on 26 March 2026, points to a major change in how planning decisions may be made in England. The core idea is straightforward: more routine and technical decisions should be made by officers, with planning committees focusing only on genuinely significant proposals. The most notable practical change is that familiar local mechanisms such as ward member call-ins and committee referral based purely on objec