New housing schemes close to well-connected train, tram and underground stations are to receive stronger planning support under a major rewrite of England’s planning rules.
The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published yesterday introduces an in-principle “default yes” for suitable housing and mixed-use developments within reasonable walking distance of qualifying stations.
However, the final policy is less prescriptive than the version consulted on. The Government originally proposed minimum densities of 40 homes per hectare around every station and 50 around well-connected stations.
Following concerns about viability, local character and development around poorly served stations, ministers have removed the minimum requirement for stations with lower service levels. The final framework instead sets tiered minimums of 35 homes per hectare around qualifying stations with at least four services an hour and 45 where there are eight or more.
CONSULTATION EXPOSES DIVISIONS
The changes follow a consultation that revealed significant opposition to nationally imposed density levels.
Only 38% of respondents supported defining a particular density range around well-connected stations, while 63% opposed it. Responses warned that blanket requirements could make some schemes unviable, particularly where they depended on flats in locations with weaker demand.
Views on the wider station-development policy were more evenly divided, with 43% supporting it and 42% opposed. The Government’s consultation response also acknowledges concerns about transport reliability, journey times and infrastructure capacity.
The policy nevertheless establishes national floors rather than ceilings, with councils expected to seek higher densities where local conditions support them.
PERMISSION IS NOT DELIVERY
Ministers say the new rules will unlock thousands of homes and help the Government pass the quarter-way point towards its target of delivering 1.5 million during the current Parliament.
The latest comprehensive figures, however, show the scale of the delivery challenge. England added 208,600 homes in 2024/25, down 6% from 221,410 the previous year and 16% below the 2019/20 peak. Official housing supply figures recorded 190,600 new-build completions during the year.
The new planning presumption may make station-led schemes easier to approve, but it does not remove obstacles including construction costs, development finance, infrastructure requirements and weak viability in some apartment markets.
The revised NPPF takes immediate effect and replaces the December 2024 framework.
Nathan Emerson (main picture, inset), CEO of Propertymark, says: “It’s positive news that the UK Government’s National Planning Policy Framework will include provision to improve communities’ access to public transport.
“People consistently prioritise well-developed local infrastructure when deciding where to live. However, all proposals must be carefully scrutinised to ensure individual developments form part of a coherent wider picture, rather than creating small, isolated communities that may not work in harmony with one another.”
SOUND PLANNING SENSE
James Williams, Planning Associate at Vail Williams, adds: “The Government’s ambition to focus housing growth around well-connected transport hubs makes sound planning and placemaking sense.
“Greater certainty around the principle of development in sustainable locations should give developers and landowners more confidence to explore opportunities which may previously have been difficult to bring forward.
“However, a ‘default yes’ in planning policy should not be confused with a guarantee that homes will actually be delivered.
“Sites around stations can be complex, with constraints ranging from fragmented land ownership and existing uses to infrastructure capacity, abnormal development costs and the need to provide affordable housing and other planning obligations. Higher-density development can help support viability, but it does not remove those challenges.
“The key will be understanding individual sites in the round – not simply whether development is acceptable in planning terms, but whether it is technically and commercially deliverable.”
“The direction of travel is positive.”
And he adds: “There is also an important role for local authorities. Strong, up-to-date local plans will enable councils to identify where growth should go and ensure that housing is accompanied by the transport, schools, healthcare, public realm and other infrastructure needed to create successful places.
“The direction of travel is positive, particularly where it brings greater certainty to the planning system. But if the Government wants these reforms to translate into thousands of additional homes rather than simply more land with development potential, planning reform will need to be accompanied by a continued focus on viability, infrastructure investment and the practical barriers to delivery.”
