Planning in 2023

2023 will see the UK taking some major steps forward with planning policy reform. The UK government has announced measures to place local communities at the heart of the planning system as part of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. The measures aim to build the right homes in the right places with the right infrastructure, ensuring the environment is protected and giving local people a greater say on where new development should be placed.

Housing targets will remain an important part of the planning system, and the government will consult on how these can better take account of local density. The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has also asked the Competition and Markets Authority to consider a market study on housebuilding.

The government will also consider new financial penalties for companies failing to deliver housing despite having planning approval, give councils powers to refuse further permission across their area, and strengthen Green Belt protections. Valued landscapes such as National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the Green Belt will remain protected through robust national and local planning policies.

A consultation on the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill’s reforms to national planning policy opened on 22nd December 2022 and closes at the end of 2nd March 2023. It seeks views on the proposed approach to updating the National Planning Policy Framework in England, on preparing National Development Management Policies, and on how national planning policy can be accessed by users.