The UK government has announced changes to planning policy in England as part of its ambition to ramp up new housing and infrastructure developments.

The final version of the updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), first unveiled in December 2025 and consulted on last spring, is published today (17 August 2026).

Among the headline changes are a default 'yes' for homes within reasonable walking distance of well-connected railway stations and minimum expectations for how much housing should be built in these areas.

Browne Jacobson’s team of planning lawyers, which works with both public and private sector clients, respond to the new NPPF. 

National planning policy must be accompanied by local engagement

Ben Standing, Partner in planning at Browne Jacobson who works with public sector clients, said: “This is a seismic shake-up of planning policy, representing the most substantial rewrite of the NPPF since its introduction in 2012.

“To bring forward the scale of new homes that will be required if the government is to get anywhere near realising its economic growth strategy, Westminster is effectively replacing the carrot with the stick for local authorities, which are now under pressure to get their own house in order by continuously update local plans.

“Failure to do this will put areas at risk of development happening in areas where it’s most cost-effective to build but without the opportunity for councils to help shape new places as part of their place making functions.

“The knock-on effect of this would be that local communities continue to feel development is imposed on them, rather than being something they feel benefits them. Tweaks to planning policy at national level can’t be the end goal but the start of a conversation that seeks to understand how local people can identify tangible progress as a result of development via upgrades to roads, schools and GP surgeries.

“When considering the broader infrastructure required for new housing, the current droughts have shone a spotlight on the need to build new reservoirs. The lead times for providing new water infrastructure at the moment is considerable, and thought should be given for how this can be streamlined in order to provide greater water security for new and existing developments."  

Social infrastructure plan needed alongside housing

Will Thomas, Partner in planning at Browne Jacobson who advises private sector clients, said: “Developers will welcome enhanced policy support for housebuilding across the country. However, a dose of realism is needed inside Whitehall. While changes to the NPPF may well unlock new housing sites in the short term, the long-term delivery picture is still clouded by viability concerns.

“Challenging economic headwinds and fiscal policies continue to affect costs related to materials, labour and borrowing, but there’s a bigger question mark against who will be expected to carry much of the burden for building affordable homes, as well as education, healthcare and transport infrastructure.

“High-quality social infrastructure holds the key to creating sustainable communities where people want to live, but escalating building costs make it unlikely developers will be able to finance such projects on their own.

“It’s therefore incumbent on Whitehall to identify new ways of financing new infrastructure, such as via modern public-private partnerships that learn the lessons from previous models.”

Browne Jacobson submitted a response to the NPPF 2026 consultation