National Planning Policy Framework

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Planning reform: main aims

• Put power in the hands of communities - with policy that is radically streamlined and more accessible

• Promote sustainable development - to provide the jobs and homes we need

• Conserve and enhance the environment

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National Planning Policy Framework: Overview

Achieving sustainable development • the presumption in favour of sustainable development • core planning principles• delivering sustainable development in practice, including policies to build a strong economy, deliver housing, and conserve the environment

Plan-makingDecision-takingAnnexes1. Implementation2. Glossary3. Documents replaced by Framework

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Achieving sustainable development

• Purpose of planning system is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development

• Policies in the Framework taken as a whole constitute the Government’s view of what sustainable development in England means in practice for the planning system

• Framework references broad principles of sustainable development set out by the UN and the UK Sustainable Development Strategy

• Sustainable development has 3 dimensions - social, environmental and economic: gains across all 3 should be sought jointly

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The presumption in favour of sustainable development

• Works within statutory framework

• Sets out clear expectation for plan-making with the aim that objectively assessed needs should be met

• For decision-taking, proposals in line with the plan to be approved without delay; where the plan is absent, silent or relevant policies out-of-date, permission to be granted unless any adverse impacts of doing so would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits

• … unless specific policies eg on Green Belt, National Parks indicate development should be restricted

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Core planning principles

Core principles to underpin plan-making and decision-taking include that planning should:

• Be genuinely plan-led, empowering local people to shape their surroundings

• Proactively drive and support sustainable economic development

• Always seek to secure high quality design

• Take account of the different roles and character of different areas

• Contribute to conserving and enhancing the natural environment

• Encourage the effective use of brownfield land

• Conserve heritage assets in a manner appropriate to their significance

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Building a strong, competitive economy, and ensuring the vitality of town centres

• Significant weight on need to support economic growth

• Councils to plan proactively to meet development needs of business, assessing the impact of policies on viability of development

• Importance of town centres to thriving communities stressed, with clear sequential and impact test for out of town development – applications should be refused if they fail the test

• Offices, culture and tourism in definition of main town centre use, and specific policy supporting existing and new markets

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Requiring good design

• Expectation that developments will function well, add to the overall quality of the area, and establish a strong sense of place

• Significant weight for truly outstanding or innovative designs

• Refuse permission for development of poor design

• Local design review arrangements to provide assessment and support to ensure high standards of design

• Refer major projects for a National Design Review and have regard to the recommendations from the design review panel

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Conserving and enhancing the environment

• Framework supports implementation of the Natural Environment White Paper

• Councils to plan positively for networks of •biodiversity and green infrastructure

• Encourage brownfield land back into use, •provided it is not of high environmental value

• Support reductions in greenhouse gas emissions

• Avoid inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding

• Conserve and enhance the historic environment

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Implementation

• Policies in Framework applied from day of publication

• Plans not considered out-of-date just because they were prepared prior to the Framework

• Due weight for plan policies according to degree of conformity with the Framework

• 12 month period of full weight for policies in post 2004 plans even if limited conflict with the Framework

• Weight for emerging plans

National Planning Policy Framework