NPPF Changes: What Developers Need to Know

Emphasis on vision-led transport planning, including multimodal trip generation, reasonable future scenarios and use of the Government Connectivity Tool.

Updated flood risk policies provide clearer requirements around site-specific Flood Risk Assessments, the Sequential Test, development safety and climate resilience.

A greater emphasis on ecological networks, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, multifunctional green infrastructure and biodiversity. The direction is clear: ecological and biodiversity considerations should be integrated into development proposals from the outset, rather than addressed later in the planning process.

Updated flood risk policies provide clearer requirements around site-specific Flood Risk Assessments, the Sequential Test, development safety and climate resilience.

Sustainable drainage systems will also need to demonstrate compliance with the National Standards for Sustainable Drainage Systems, making early consideration of drainage and SuDS increasingly important when assessing site feasibility.

There is greater emphasis on ecological networks, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, multifunctional green infrastructure and biodiversity.

The direction is clear: ecological and biodiversity considerations should be integrated into development proposals from the outset, rather than addressed later in the planning process.

The new Framework also provides clearer support for proportionate information requirements, with additional assessments expected to be justified by development plan policy and the scale and nature of a proposal.

Climate adaptation, overheating, sustainable transport, SuDS, green infrastructure and wider resilience considerations are also increasingly expected to influence site design from an early stage.

At Dice, we are already updating our standard templates and assessment approaches to reflect the new Framework.

Our Pre-Planning team can support developments from initial site feasibility through to planning submission and determination, including:

• Transport Statements and Transport Assessments.
• Travel Plans and transport strategy advice.
• Access and movement appraisals.
• Flood Risk Assessments.
• Drainage Strategies and SuDS design.
• Ecology and Biodiversity Net Gain.
• Phase 1 and Phase 2 ground investigation.
• Noise and air quality assessments.
• Lighting assessments.
• Civil engineering and site feasibility advice.
• Multidisciplinary constraints and development appraisals.

If you have a live site, an emerging planning application or a project already scoped against the previous NPPF, we can review the implications of the changes and advise whether any updates to your existing assessments or strategy may be required.

Our expert team are here to help with your enquiry. Get in touch at info@diceconsult.co.uk.