Local plans will move towards a ten-year delivery period under proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), potentially allowing local authorities to respond more quickly to changing housing needs and economic conditions, according to Lichfields.

The current approach requires plans to look ahead over at least 15 years from adoption, but the proposed changes would instead focus on a ten-year period from the point at which a plan is examined.

The change could make plans more responsive, particularly given the length of time it can take to prepare and adopt them. A plan based on evidence gathered several years earlier can risk becoming outdated before it is adopted.

Shorter plan periods could allow local authorities to update policies and housing requirements more regularly, while reducing the need to make long-term assumptions about population growth, employment and development needs.

However, Lichfields warned that the proposed approach should not result in local authorities planning for fewer homes. It argued that the Government will need to ensure the new system maintains an adequate supply of housing land beyond the immediate ten-year period.

The changes form part of the Government's wider proposed reforms to the planning system, with Lichfields suggesting the shift could represent a significant change in how local authorities approach plan-making and the timescales over which development is planned.