On 17 August 2026, the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was adopted by Government. It brings in significant changes affecting the presumption in favour of all development and other planning considerations.

The impacts of this new NPPF for existing or emerging Local Plan policies are still being worked through by most local authorities.

For developers and those with current and pending planning applications, in some cases there will be a need to review the case for development and make fresh arguments to align with the new NPPF, especially with sites that might be regarded as being ‘outside of settlements’.

The importance of the NPPF in obtaining planning permission
Under the plan-led system, planning applications must be determined in accordance with the statutory development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise — and the NPPF is a primary material consideration that decision-makers must take into account. Local planning authorities must shape their local development plans to align with national policy set out in the NPPF, albeit that the NPPF is not part of the ‘development plan’, which instead comprises local documents like Local Plans, Spatial Development Strategies, Minerals and Waste Plans, and Neighbourhood Plans.

The revised August 2026 NPPF explicitly separates plan-making from decision-making policies, introducing dedicated national rules and a clearer, more directive framework for local authorities and the courts.

While the statutory development plan (Local Plans, Neighbourhood Plans) still comes first in determining applications, the NPPF heavily shapes how local policies are interpreted and applied in practice.