Housebuilding near well-connected train stations will receive a ‘default yes’ in future if they meet certain rules, ensuring more high-quality, affordable homes are built in and around key towns and cities, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government reported on 18 November 2025.

The government is encouraging housebuilders to build more homes near these transport links, and councils in England will also now be required to tell the government when they intend to reject new housing developments over a certain size (150 units or more), with the Housing Secretary able to have the final say on whether the development should go ahead.

These changes will be introduced alongside proposals to streamline the statutory consultee process and builds on work already underway following the launch of Platform4, a new property company set to unlock 40,000 homes on brownfield land near railway stations, with four sites already earmarked, including Newcastle Forth Goods Yard and Manchester Mayfield.

Housing Secretary, Steve Reed, says: “We’re making it easier to build well-connected and high-quality homes, using stronger powers to speed things up if councils drag their feet, and proposing to streamline the consultation process to cut back delays. This is about action: spades in the ground and breathing new life into communities.”

The planning reforms will be proposed through a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), and the default ‘yes’ will apply equally across all local authorities and the proposals will include minimum housing density standards for these sites.

David Thomas, CEO at Barratt Redrow, highlighted the current problem with the planning system, commenting: “We support the government’s mission to reform the planning system, which remains a significant barrier to UK growth. Today, outline planning permission for a medium-sized development takes an average of two and a half years – more than three times as long as a decade ago.”