Reed aims to speed up house building with ‘seismic’ NPPF overhaul
Proposed reforms to national planning policy will be the biggest shake-up for the system in more than a decade, according to the government.
Speaking at the launch of a consultation on the updated proposals, Steve Reed says the changes, which are designed to standardise planning rules, accelerate local plans and help deliver on ambitious housing targets, are the most significant to the NPPF since its introduction in 2012.
Reed has made no secret of his desire to light a fire under local planning departments since taking office last year, as the government seeks to meet an ambitious target of building 1.5m new homes by the end of the current parliament in 2029.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government unveiled a 123-page document outlining twelve areas of significant policy changes this week, the latest round of rewrites to the NPPF, which combined with amendments introduced in December last year amount to a “seismic re-gearing of the system”, the department says.
The changes, if adopted, are intended to provide more certainty for developers and speed up local plan production by standardising more elements of national policy, as well as reducing the amount of variation applied by local councils.
Higher profile elements of the proposals include an automatic “yes” to the principle of development for homes near railway stations with high connectivity – including on Green Belt land – which recognises stations as sustainable locations for development by default.
Other changes also include a permanent presumption in favour of residential development in sustainable urban locations, a standardisation process for housing which is set to mirror the introduction of “brownfield passports” in last year’s update, making development of former industrial sites in urban areas acceptable by default.
Substantial weight will also be given in the planning process to commercial schemes which support business growth such as AI Growth Zones, logistics developments, and schemes in town and city centres, which the government says will support its “number one mission” of delivering economic growth across the country.
A full list of updates included in the policy can be found in the draft consultation on the government’s website.
“These proposals will make the NPPF clearer, more rules-based, and easier to navigate for communities, councils, and developers alike,” said Reed at the launch of the consultation.
“They will accelerate the Government’s commitments to achieve economic growth, build 1.5 million new homes in this Parliament and secure clean power by 2030.
“The revised NPPF separates out policies for plan-making and decision-making. These changes are designed to make planning policy easier to use, underpin the development of faster and simpler local plans, and be more directive of decision-making in support of both appropriate housing and commercial development.”
The consultation runs until 10 March 2026.
Labour councils like Liverpool go out their way to stop anything getting built. Reed needs to call out the blockers in his own party. Labour has been great for Manchester but a disaster for Liverpool.
By Peter
Well said Peter , its sad but true . Our City has been significantly held back by the Labour LCC , The contrast is night and day to Manchester. Sadly i fear the lost ground can never be recovered.
By Paul - Woolton
This 1.5million is becoming a fairy story.Whilst there are some meaningful and positive changes to the proposed NPPF it is still subject to consultation etc and probably won’t happen till mid 2026 (at the earliest) and at a similar time when new home building rates will possibly show 2025 has been lower than 2024.How many years are then left of the current Govenment term amnd where will the economy be.
By Anon
123 pages + 12 major areas + consultation + if adopted = 2027 earliest
By Tannoy
I call 2029 before this is adopted. 1.5 million homes was never going to happen. Just headline grabbing optics from this inept government.
By Graham Fass
Even if it is adopted it wont be around for long, its likely the next government with either amend or scrap it
By Jon P
They need to think through these things properly “we want to reform planning to speed up house building” – great, for how long ? For how many years does a new city the size of Liverpool have to be built ? Forever ? Until the Midlands-North West are one huge sprawl from Bolton to Birmingham ? Or until politicians grow a pair and reform the rules that allow student slums, holiday lets, and spurious ‘hotels’ to proliferate and decimate existing housing stock ? Until every person has their own assigned one-bed ‘executive studio’ in some dreadful HMO ? or until they get a proper grip on infrastructure and civilized density in places like London where millions apparently want to live and work ? Not expecting the rent-seeking classes to vote or act against their own interests of course, but the solution isn’t “build baby build”.
By John Smith
Here we go again, another NPPF overhaul, another 132 pages of complete waffle, but attention to detail and a fully co-ordinated plan is needed to succeed. This minister will produce documents, make statements, visit consultees, and in 5 years’ time when he well out of the way watch it all get changed again assuming he was really interested in the first place.
I also consider John Smith – December 18, 2025, at 10:23 am, is making some very valid points, and this too needs addressing, perhaps we don’t have a housing problem at all if we address the stock we have and address the real elephant in the room for housing is not meeting demand.
By Steve5839