Dec 24 NPPF Webinar 19 March Golden Rules.pptx
- 1. OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE OFFICIAL 19 March 2025 The new National Planning Policy Framework ‘Golden Rules’ for Green Belt development
- 2. OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE 2 • 25 Sep – 11 Dec - 10,981 responses • 30 July to 24 Sep – Consultation on proposed changes to the NPPF • 8 July – Chancellor commits to consulting on reforms to the NPPF Overview of the consultation • 12 Dec – publication of revised NPPF The consultation ran between July and September 2024
- 3. OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE 3 Secure affordable housing, with a higher number of the units being onsite affordable. Infrastructure Affordable housing Major development involving the provision of housing on land within or released from the Green Belt What are the Golden Rules? Boost public services and infrastructure, to deliver well-designed, connected places, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify the infrastructure that their communities need. Genuine green space Protect genuine green space, improving existing green spaces and creating new ones.
- 4. OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE 4 Where development proposals comply with BLV requirements, and a viability negotiation to reduce policy delivery occurs, a late-stage review should be undertaken. Late-stage reviews If land has been sold (or optioned) at a price which exceeds the nationally set BLV, viability negotiation should not be undertaken to reduce developer contributions. Where land transacts above BLV Government sets indicative BLVs to inform the policies developed on BLVs by local planning authorities. Benchmark land values (BLVs) Approaches to ensure the appropriate use of viability Consultation proposals
- 5. OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE 5 The Golden Rules were revised following consultation Golden Rules and the revised NPPF (1) This requirement should: a) be set at a higher level than that which would otherwise apply to land which is not within or proposed to be released from the Green Belt; and b) require at least 50% of the housing to be affordable, unless this would make the development of these sites unviable (when tested in accordance with national planning practice guidance on viability). • There were concerns that a national 50% affordable housing target could lack flexibility and fail to account properly for regional variation. • Local planning authorities will therefore set their own Golden Rules in relation to affordable housing through their new local plans.
- 6. OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE 6 The Golden Rules were revised following consultation Golden Rules and the revised NPPF (2) • The Golden Rules do not apply: o If land has already been released for development from the Green Belt, or where development of Green Belt land has been permitted through the grant of planning permission before the policy is introduced o On non-residential development, but they will be relevant for mixed-use development. o On traveller sites. • The 50% cap does not apply to: o Rural exception sites or community-led development exception sites, o If the local authority has a relevant existing policy above 50% which would apply to the development • It will take time for new local plans to be brought forward in many instances. Therefore, it is necessary for a Golden Rule on major planning applications brought forward on the Green Belt prior to new plans coming into force. • In these scenarios, the affordable housing contribution required to satisfy the Golden Rules is: o 15 percentage points above the highest, existing affordable housing requirement which would otherwise apply to the development, subject to a cap of 50%. • It will be for local authorities to judge the right tenure mix of the additional affordable housing contribution.
- 7. OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE 7 How the Golden Rules may play out in practice Illustrative example When the Golden Rules are applied, the affordable housing contributions required for planning applications brought forward on the Green Belt prior to new plans coming into force would be: • 11-14 dwellings = 45% affordable housing • 15-24 dwellings = 50% affordable housing • 25+ dwellings = 50% affordable housing (the 50% cap applies and so requirement would not increase to 55%). When Local Authority X adopts a new local plan, they will set their own affordable housing requirements for Green Belt land, where they will need to test at least a 50% AH requirement. Local Authority X has the following affordable housing requirements in their area: • 11-14 dwellings = 30% affordable housing • 15-24 dwellings = 35% affordable housing • 25+ dwellings = 40% affordable housing
- 8. OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE 8 Nature Recovery • Accessible green spaces should be available for public use, free of charge and have safe travel routes, including access by public transport, bridleways and footpaths. • Green space should be within a short walk of new residents and, where LPAs do not have specific policies in place, apply Natural England's Accessible Greenspace Standards. Accessibility • High quality green spaces are safe; visually stimulating and attractive; well-designed; sustainably managed and maintained; and seek to meet the needs of the communities which they serve. The Green Flag Award criteria help to lay out what high quality looks like. • Proposals should consider how greenspaces can contribute positively to the priorities for nature recovery as set out within relevant Local Nature Recovery Strategies and contribute to wider environmental outcomes for the local area. Green Spaces The 'Golden Rules’ – Benefits for Nature Green Space Golden Rules
- 9. OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE 9 The government intends to review PPG to optimise developer contributions Review of PPG on Viability The review will include consideration of: • The circumstances in which site-specific viability assessment is allowed, with specific reference to large sites and Previously Developed Land. • The treatment of benchmark land values • How review mechanisms could be used • To make sure the viability system works to optimise developer contributions by only allowing negotiations where genuinely necessary • Prior to PPG updates, site-specific viability assessment should not be used on development subject to Golden Rules
Editor's Notes
- #3: Golden Rules are ultimately about greater public benefit on land which has previously been under tighter restrictions Green Belt land can deliver more affordable housing, infrastructure and environmental contributions, as the value of the land in its existing use is generally low, and the Green Belt designation reduces the hope value associated with the prospect of securing planning permission.
- #6: The ‘Golden Rules’ have been revised (following consultation) to better account for regional variation in viability and balance the objectives of increased affordable housing provision with overall housing supply. We noted the concerns that setting a national 50% affordable housing target could lack flexibility and fail to account properly for regional variation. For this reason, we are allowing local planning authorities to set their own Golden Rules in relation to affordable housing through their new local plans.