NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) 2025 revision out for consultation

[Daniel H]

A major revision to the NPPF landed this week and makes for very interesting reading. 

 

Many of the things that have had our project in tangles seem to be getting ironed out - from conservation areas, heritage assets and Non Designated Heritage Assets - (NDHA)s to sustainability and a new set of 'substantial' weights given to a raft of things including design. It's pretty amazing reading.

 

And - in other news - the Biodiversity Net Gains (BNG) for small sites (up to 0.2ha) is being dropped altogether which means no more Unilateral Undertakings (UUs) for self-builders.

 

Keen to hear the takes of the hive mind here. I feel like even if our (overdue!) appeal is dismissed, we have enough here to get planning next time.

[Alan Ambrose]

Quite a good summary here:

 

https://www.samdumitriu.com/p/labour-are-finally-taking-the-housing

[Gus Potter]

9 hours ago, Daniel H said:

Many of the things that have had our project in tangles seem to be getting ironed out - from conservation areas, heritage assets and NDHAs to sustainability and a new set of 'substantial' weights given to a raft of things including design. It's pretty amazing reading.

 

And - in other news - the BNG for small sites (up to 0.2ha) is being dropped altogether which means no more UUs for self-builders.

 

Keen to hear the takes of the hive mind here. I feel like even if our (overdue!) appeal is dismissed, we have enough here to get planning next time.

Each time you use an abbreviation, use it then in brackets, explain the abbreviation, you only need to do this once.  For new folk to BH this is important, as an SE I think it's just poor commuication. If you want to get your point over then follow this format, otherwise folk will lose interest. 

 

I agree the English planning system is a mess, the Scottish system is much further developed. It's still not easy, but much easier to navigate as it gives everyone, including devleopers better guidnce. It still has some major pitfalls for self builders. In summary it's about time the English system sorted it's self out. It's going to take time and some horrible things are going to happen.. but any reform of the English planning system is going to be painfull.  

 

The chances of delivering enough housing is limited, the best way to control this is to stop the population from rising! While this new document seems encouraging it does not address the elephant in the room which is the supporting infrastructure.. the drains, hospitals ect need to keep up.

 

On a personal note. The strategy seems fundamentally flawed to me. This idea that you have to travel to work is mental. It does not make for social cohesion.  I live in East Kilbride which was one of the first new towns, the idea started in 1947. The plan really started to work in about the late sixties when they thought..  lets build some industrial units and offer grants to multinationals to set up shop. The offer was, you come here and we will build the houses that provide the workforce. Motoralla were one of the first, Rolls Royce, the Department for international Development followed. The jobs were well paying, folk built lives and family in East Kilbride, small busdiness units were offered to provide the secondary support mechanisms that we all need. My father in laws dad ran the local shoe shop. 

 

Unfortunately this fundaments concept has been lost. 

 

Now I know lot's of folk are enthusiastic on BH about this change in the English system.. but what if it later this works against you and you ideal plot gets blighted by someone next door.. be careful what you wish for!

 

In the round there is no point in building your dream home if the surrounding area has no community or just turn into a shit hole. 

 

 

[LnP]

11 hours ago, Daniel H said:

And - in other news - the BNG for small sites (up to 0.2ha) is being dropped altogether which means no more UUs for self-builders.

 

Hallelujah!! More detail here.

[Gus Potter]

What is a UU?

[saveasteading]

That's an interesting read.

 

It hadn't crossed my mind that rents might drop so much... so major landlords may resist this.

 

In my experience  the big issue is that most new houses are aimed at and occupied by already well-off people, upgrading and commuting. The so-called affordable housing is an imposed add-on and remains expensive.

 

In the North of Scotland  ( I know this document is for England) thousands of houses are built commercially and filled with immigrants from the South, and in the nice places. Not for locals and not enough infrastructure of course. I think this is the same in certain English areas.

I sense resistance to white settlers and major industry being imposed.

 

There isn't enough water supply or infrastructure, and drainage likewise....and this needs a lot more work by central government.

 

It's a good report but various parties will right now be looking to work it to their advantage.

[LnP]

9 hours ago, Gus Potter said:

What is a UU?

The onerous unilateral undertaking which most LPAs require you to sign if you want to claim the self builder exemption to the requirement to demonstrate 10% increase in biodiversity, the Biodiversity Net Gain obligations. The UU locks you into not being able to sell your house for three years after completion without permission from the LPA, with no definition of the circumstances under which they might relieve you of these obligations.

 

As well as having to accept the onerous UU obligations, people claiming the self build exemption had to pay the LPA their legal fees to execute the UU, typically ~£1000. It appears there will now be a new small sites exemption. I imagine that it might now be possible for people who have entered into the self build exemption to switch to the small sites exemption .... but I expect they will have to pay the LPA their legal fees to make the switch!

 

BNG makes complete sense for a development of 1,000 homes, but was not thought through for self builders and small sites.

[Daniel H]

10 hours ago, Gus Potter said:

What is a UU?

 

It's a unilateral undertaking. As far as I understand it, a council can ask for a self-builder to sign a document saying they will live in the property after it's been built for a minimum amount of time. It's to prevent developers pretending to be self-builders and avoiding the obligations that would ordinarily fall to them. But it can mean issues with selling and mortgages. Sweeping all that away for BNG is a very positive step. 

 

I'm pleased because the LPA in our case recognised us as self-builders but we appealed their refusal and the Inspectorate have been pretty unforgiving on those without formal proof of self-build as they will dismiss on the basis that you're a developer and should do the BNG stuff. We in the end waived our self-build status (I didn't think the LPA would sort a UU out in time, given we were appealing their decision), to paid for the BNG calculations and were on the hook for £2500 in credits. Now we don't have to pay any of that, thankfully.

[Daniel H]

11 hours ago, Gus Potter said:

as an SE

 

I'm sorry, a what? 😉

[Big Jimbo]

I'm tied to a UU because i am within 12km of some woodland that people go and trample all over at the weekends. Legal fees that i had to pay to the council £1500. and £6500 towards the upkeep of the woods. That's for one new house. The other is considered a replacement, so i dont have to pay for that one.

[Alan Ambrose]

Sam U’s example:

 

1. Application Form (inci. the correct type
23. Economic/Employment Assessment
of Ownership Certificate
24. Energy Statement
2. Site Location Plan
25. Flood Risk Assessment
3.
Existing & Proposed Elevations
26. Heritage Statement
4.
Existing & Proposed Plans
27. Inclusive Design Statement
5. Existing & Proposed Sections
28. Landscaping Strategy
6.
Affordable Housing Financial Viability
29. Microclimate Wind Assessment
Assessment
30. Noise & Vibration Impact Assessment
7. Affordable Housing Statement
31. Planning Fire Safety Statement
8. Agent of Change Assessment
32. Planning Statement
9. Air Quality Assessment
33. Public Art Strategy
10. Archaeological Assessment
34. Preliminary Drainage Strategy
11. Aviation Impact Assessment
35. Preliminary Ecological Assessment
12. Biodiversity Statement
36. Refuse and Recycling Strategy
13. Biodiversity Net Gain Statement* (incl.
37. Safety, Security and Resilience to
completed copy of the statutory
Emergency Strategy
biodiversity metric calculation tool)
38. Topographical Plans/Surveys (Existing
14. Community Engagement Statement
& Proposed)
15. Community Infrastructure Levy Form
39. Townscape and Visual Impact
16. Contaminated Land Assessment
Assessment
17. Daylight & Sunlight Assessment (On-
40. Transport Assessments
Site & Off-Site)
a. Swept Path Analysis and
18. Demolition Plans
b.
Parking Surveys (Richmond
19. Design and Access Statement
Methodology)
20. Draft Construction Logistics
41. Transport Statement
Management Plan
42. TV/Radio Reception Impact
21. Draft Delivery & Servicing Plan®
Assessment and

[Alan Ambrose]

I’ve recently been bugged by Enforcement a couple of times and had an Non Material Amendment (NMA) turned down. And the LPA owes me some money for their previous unreasonable behaviour. The whole ‘system’ is a piss take designed to stop development. The beneficiaries are the existing land/property owners, of course.

 

It needs rolling back 50 years or so.

[Big Jimbo]

anybody waiting on there PP, be aware, a lot of councils are insisting that BNG has to be discharged on its own, and can't be grouped with other conditions for discharge.

This means paying another fee !

This is unlawful. Dacorum council tried this on with me only this week. i pushed back, and said i wanted to know the legal framework that allowed them to insist on a application on its own. They could not come up with anything, so backed down.

[MikeSharp01]

I heard that one can now build a granny annex in ones garden without issues - well that if you get turned down for planning permission (PP) you can expect to win on appeal.