In response to today’s speech by Communities Secretary Michael Gove, Theresa Villiers MP has issued the following comment on amendments to the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF):
“Today’s announcement includes some welcome changes. For the first time, the NPPF will explicitly state that top-down housing targets are advisory not mandatory. This is a significant reform. The obligation to maintain a rolling five year land supply will be removed for councils with an up-to-date Local Plan. Councils will not be obliged to review green belt boundaries, and they will also have greater protection against being forced to build at high densities which are significantly out of character with the surrounding area.”
“The full impact will not be clear until these reforms are operating in practice, and I have concerns about some aspects of what is planned. But a number of today's NPPF amendments reflect the compromise reached during debates last year on the Levelling Up Act, and should therefore help safeguard the right of local communities to have their say in what gets built in their neighbourhood.”
In December 2022, Theresa Villiers tabled NC21 and a series of other amendments the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, alongside Bob Seely MP and Greg Smith MP. These were backed by 60 backbench Conservative MPs. Secretary of State Gove subsequently issued a letter to MPs setting out planning reforms to respond to the concerns voiced in the NC21 amendments that excessively high housing targets were eroding local input into planning decisions by making it more difficult for councils to turn down bad development proposals. Key elements of the compromise contained in that letter are being taken forward in the new NPPF.
Digital imprint: Promoted by Theresa Villiers MP of 163 High Street, Barnet, Herts, EN5 5SU.
