On 17th August the Government published the latest update to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The Town & Country Planning Association (TCPA) raised some significant concerns about the NPPF during the consultation, calling on the Government to set a clear vision for the nation based on social justice and resilience.
As the summer’s unprecedented heatwaves continue, causing drought and the loss of people’s homes to wildfires, the NPPF update provides a vital opportunity to put public safety at the heart of our planning system. The new national policy framework requires planners to think about the impact of wildfires and overheating. This is a step towards designing communities to be resilient to the kinds of climate impacts which are now inevitable. However, much more will need to be done to secure long term resilient outcomes. This includes strengthening policy on surface water flooding.
While the TCPA welcomes Government’s commitment to good design and the Garden City Principles, we remain concerned that this new Framework fails to prioritise the importance of local democratic planning. The TCPA will campaign for the policy changes needed to put the climate emergency and social justice at the heart of the planning system.
TCPA Chief Executive, Katy Lock, added:
A good planning system is increasingly a matter of life and death for people and places. The TCPA will continue to support communities as they navigate this new framework to deliver a healthy, safe and resilient future. We look forward to working with Government to secure the policy change necessary to keep people and their homes safe as the climate emergency intensifies.
The TCPA will share comment on key aspects of the NPPF throughout the coming weeks, including in relation to strategic sites and new communities, health and wellbeing, planning and democracy, strategic planning, and the climate emergency.
Notes:
- A summary of key issues raised by the TCPA during consultation on the draft NPPF are set out online in our blog series:
- For further details and comment please contact Katy.Lock@tcpa.org.uk or Hugh.Ellis@tcpa.org.uk
