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Draft NPPF consultation: what it means for SME housing and strategic sites The Government is consulting on a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and related reforms aimed at improving delivery and certainty. For most landowners and SME developers, the immediate relevance is practical: the draft direction of travel is likely to shape how LPAs negotiate, how applications are evidenced, and what Inspectors expect to see at appeal. The parts most likely to affect li

The Housing Secretary is expected to announce a major change to the planning system.  Under the reported plans, any proposal for  150 homes or more  that a council intends to refuse would instead have to be referred to central Government for determination. This marks one of the most significant recent shifts in planning policy and reflects growing concern in Whitehall over slow housing delivery, stalled local plans and chronic under-supply across much of the country. Central

Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook has written to the Planning Inspectorate confirming that inspectors can once again recommend local planning authorities undertake Green Belt reviews as part of the Local Plan examination process. The announcement, made in October 2025, marks a significant shift in planning policy and restores a power removed more than a decade ago. It means that where a submitted Local Plan is found to fall short of housing or employment land requirements, P