The new NPPF: the main changes, in plain English.

In August 2026 the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published a new National Planning Policy Framework, or NPPF, which replaces the version published in December 2024. This is not a light-touch update. The whole document has been restructured, some long-standing terms have gone, and the way decisions are made has shifted. This is a plain-English guide to the main points that matter, particularly if you are planning a home, a countryside project, or development on or near the Green Belt. It reflects the framework as published, and because the detail turns on the specific site, you should always take advice on your own project.

A new structure: policies, not paragraphs

The most immediate change is the format. The NPPF is no longer a single run of numbered paragraphs. It is now organised into clearly coded policies, split into plan-making policies, used when councils prepare local plans, and national decision-making policies, used when applications are decided. Each policy has a reference, such as HO7 for housing or GB6 for the Green Belt. The practical effect is significant: the familiar shorthand, like 'Paragraph 84', no longer works, and everyone in the system is relearning the references.

A new approach to decisions: inside or outside a settlement

The way individual applications are judged has been reframed around a simple question: is the site within a settlement or outside one? For proposals within settlements, the framework is strongly supportive; they should be approved unless the benefits would be substantially outweighed by the harm (policy S4). Outside settlements, only certain kinds of development are supported, such as agriculture and rural business, the reuse or replacement of existing buildings, previously developed land, limited infilling, and homes that meet a specific rural test (policy S5). It is a clearer, more location-driven approach than before.

Countryside homes: 'Paragraph 84' is now Policy HO11

The exceptional, individually designed country house, long known as a 'Paragraph 84 house' (and Paragraph 79, then 80, before that), continues, but under a new home. It is now Policy HO11, 'Isolated homes in the countryside', with the design route at HO11(1)(e): a home that is truly outstanding, reflecting the highest standards in architecture, and would help raise design standards in the area. The principle is intact; the reference has changed. Most people will still call them Paragraph 84 houses out of habit, and we know exactly what they mean, but the formal policy is now HO11.

Green Belt: grey belt, the Golden Rules and replacement homes

Green Belt policy continues to protect openness, but the framework is clear about where development can still happen. 'Grey belt', lower-quality Green Belt land that contributes little to the purposes of the Green Belt, can be identified and released ahead of higher-value land, and major housing on released Green Belt must meet the 'Golden Rules' on affordable housing, infrastructure and green space. For most of our clients the everyday provisions remain: replacement dwellings that are not materially larger than the building they replace, extensions that are not disproportionate, and the redevelopment of previously developed land, now set out in policy GB7.

Building near stations: the 'station' package

A clear theme running through the new framework is development around well-connected stations. Homes near such a station can be supported even outside a settlement (policy S5), minimum densities of 35 to 45 dwellings per hectare apply close to them (policy L3), and, notably, Green Belt boundaries around them can be reviewed in plan-making without the usual 'exceptional circumstances' test (policy GB3). A new government Connectivity Tool is used to assess how well-connected a location is. This package is sometimes referred to informally as a 'station passport'.

Making more of every site

The framework pushes harder on using land efficiently. Development within settlements should generally add to density, minimum densities are encouraged, and upward extensions, such as adding storeys or mansard roofs and building in the airspace above existing buildings, are actively supported (policy L2). Schemes that fail to make efficient use of land can be refused. For homeowners and small developers this is a mixed picture: more scope to build up and intensify, but a higher bar against leaving land underused.

What it means for you

For anyone with an existing planning permission, nothing changes; a permission already granted still stands. For new projects the shift is real but not alarming: the tests have been reorganised rather than reinvented, and for many of our clients the substance, exceptional countryside homes, Green Belt replacement dwellings, sensitive extensions, is broadly carried through into the new policies. The practical challenge is that the references and the decision-making structure are new, so early, well-grounded advice matters more than ever while the system settles. If you want to know where a project now stands, we are already working with the new framework.

Common questions

Does the new NPPF affect my existing planning permission?

No. A planning permission already granted is unaffected. The new framework applies to plans being prepared and to applications being decided from its publication onwards. If you are part-way through an application, it is worth checking how the change affects your particular case.

Is 'Paragraph 84' finished?

The paragraph number is, but the policy is not. Exceptional, individually designed country houses are now dealt with under Policy HO11, with the design route at HO11(1)(e). The concept is essentially carried through. Most people will keep calling them Paragraph 84 houses, and we know exactly what they mean.

What is 'grey belt'?

Grey belt is Green Belt land that makes little contribution to the purposes of the Green Belt, such as previously developed sites or land already well contained by other development. The framework allows it to be identified and, where needed, released for development ahead of higher-value Green Belt, subject to conditions including the Golden Rules on affordable housing and infrastructure.

What is the change around stations?

The new framework strongly supports homes near well-connected stations, including higher densities and, in plan-making, reviewing Green Belt boundaries around such stations without the usual exceptional-circumstances test. A government Connectivity Tool is used to judge how well-connected a location is.