Assessing housing need
Under the old NPPF, in preparing their local plans, Local Planning Authorities (LPA) were required to objectively assess their full housing need however, there was no one set way of calculating the number of houses required. This inevitably led to disagreements between the LPA and developers on the number of homes which should be delivered which would inevitably lead to delays in Plan making and costs where this was challenged at appeal. The revised NPPF, introduces a standardised methodology. This is aimed at reducing the disagreement, albeit local authorities can depart from the standard method provided that there are 'exceptional circumstances' that can justify an alternative approach.

Delivery
The NPPF is unashamedly about the delivery of homes. The requirement on Councils to maintain a five-year supply of deliverable housing land remains and has been supplemented by additional ways of monitoring progress. The five-year supply seeks to forecast what will be built and the new “Housing Delivery Test” looks at what has actually been delivered. In recognition of a historic failure to deliver enough new homes the new housing delivery test will consider how the number of new homes delivered over the previous three years compares with the housing requirement. This includes a requirement for an LPA to produce an action plan where delivery has fallen below specific thresholds and potential for the presumption in favour of sustainable development to apply. This new test will again bring with it the benefit of being definitive. It is hoped that it will put pressure on Councils to make sure that sites truly are deliverable.

Delivering a supply of homes
The new NPPF brings is an attempt to deliver a greater variety of new homes. The government has specified that at least 10% of an LPA's housing requirement identified through the development plan should be on sites of one hectare or less.
The new NPPF interestingly places the current national approach of not seeking affordable housing on small residential developments on a stronger footing. The national approach to setting thresholds for affordable housing provision now applies to sites of 9 dwellings or less, which are also less than 0.5 hectares in area, other than in designated rural areas.
An interesting new provision is for entry-level exception sites suitable for first-time buyers or those looking to rent their first home. LPAs should support the development of such sites, which should be located on the edge of an existing settlement, proportionate in size, and genuinely required.
Simon Warner, associate director at Fisher German, said “Whilst we wait for the dust to settle on the new NPPF, the Government is hoping even a small number of extra homes arising from each of the changes will add to a significant increase in supply and be a start of the revolution. The changes will assist greatly from the delivery of sites, particularly for a number of our clients”. If you have any queries on the impact of the new NPPF please do not hesitate to contact Fisher German’s planning teams.