Westminster has opened a 12‑week consultation on a clearer, rules‑based National Planning Policy Framework, billed as the most significant rewrite since 2012. In a letter published today (16 December 2025), Housing Secretary Steve Reed set out plans to speed decisions and meet the 1.5m homes pledge, with the consultation running to 10 March.

Two policy pivots matter immediately for applicants. First, the draft framework separates plan‑making from decision‑making to make local plans faster to prepare. Second, once the final NPPF is published, local policies that conflict with new national decision policies will carry very limited weight in determinations. Ministers also want to stop councils duplicating Building Regulations in local plans, aside from the existing ‘optional technical standards’.

Capacity is being funded. MHCLG has earmarked £48m to bolster planning teams and a separate £8m to move major residential schemes through post‑outline stages more quickly. London receives £3m to support boroughs implementing emergency measures agreed with City Hall on 23 October. For developers, that should translate into more officer time on live files over the next two quarters.

On delivery, the department will invite expressions of interest for ‘pattern books’ of standardised, good‑quality house types to speed approvals and support modern methods of construction and digital design, including AI. A further £5m expands the Small Sites Aggregator across Bristol, Sheffield and Lewisham to assemble up to 60 brownfield plots for social rent, giving SME builders financeable pipelines.

Environmental requirements shift too. The letter confirms an exemption from Biodiversity Net Gain for schemes up to 0.2 hectares, with Defra to consult rapidly on a targeted brownfield exemption potentially up to 2.5 hectares. Conservation groups voiced concern today that small‑site exemptions could weaken BNG’s effect, according to the Guardian.

Viability is back in focus, but with guardrails. Ministers expect councils to take a pragmatic approach to renegotiating Section 106 obligations via the statutory s106A route where schemes are marginal, while cautioning against attempts to revisit fundamentals via s73. A new s73B route, legislated in 2023, will be implemented to allow proportionate variations without dismantling agreed obligations.

Structural changes in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill 2025 add further momentum: a national scheme of delegation for planning committees from 2026, scope for councils to set their own planning fees, an updated framework for development corporations, clearer powers for Spatial Development Strategies, faster compulsory purchase expected within two months of Royal Assent, and a reworked pre‑application stage for NSIPs due in late spring.

Brownfield around transport hubs will be pushed harder. A government notice in November set out a future default ‘yes’ near well‑connected rail stations, including parts of the Green Belt. Press reports suggest a working radius of roughly 800 metres with densities around 40–50 dwellings per hectare, subject to rules and consultation.

For small developers, this is a rare opening. Removing BNG on sub‑0.2ha plots trims cost and programme risk on typical urban infill of 10–20 homes, while clearer national decision policies should reduce design‑by‑committee delays. The trade‑off is potential variability in locally set fees and tighter national standards, so cashflow planning deserves more attention than usual.

Volume builders and land traders should reassess value near stations and on smaller brownfield. If ministers proceed as outlined, national decision policies will bite immediately after the NPPF is finalised, reducing the scope for older local plans to block otherwise compliant schemes. Expect stronger pricing for corner plots and suburban sites that can carry extra storeys.

Councils face a delivery brief. The funding is modest but targeted at live applications, while committee reforms and the default‑yes regime will increase scrutiny where refusals go against officer advice. Ministers also plan to speed called‑in cases by using written representations rather than mandatory inquiries in suitable instances.

Investors should watch London closely. The GLA support and October emergency package point to time‑limited reliefs and fast‑track routes for schemes with meaningful affordable housing. If finance costs ease in 2026, the capital’s backlog of permissions could translate into starts more quickly than the national trend.

Timings matter. The consultation runs to 10 March, with ministers stating that national decision policies will apply straight after the final NPPF is published. Committee regulations are planned for 2026, CPO reforms are expected within two months of Royal Assent, and NSIP pre‑application changes are targeted for late spring.

What to do now. SMEs should triage pipelines against the 0.2ha BNG threshold and identify sites within walking distance of stations. Larger developers may test s106 variations on stalled schemes while keeping affordable provision intact. Everyone should plan for a rules‑first decision process and align design work with national standards rather than bespoke local rules.