National Planning Policy Framework, Chapter 4: Achieving sustainable development (S1–6)

Plan-making policies

S1: Positive plan-making

1. The development plan should plan positively for future growth and change by:

 a. Seeking to meet the development needs of their area, as a minimum. For spatial development strategies, and for local plans where a spatial development strategy is not in place^{[footnote 23]}, this means providing for objectively assessed needs for housing, business and other uses (including supporting infrastructure), as well as any needs that cannot be met within neighbouring areas, unless:

  i. The application of the policies in this Framework that protect areas or assets of particular importance^{[footnote 24]} provides a strong reason for restricting the overall scale, type or distribution of development in the plan area; or

  ii. Any adverse impacts of doing so would substantially outweigh the benefits, when assessed against the policies in this Framework taken as a whole.

 b. Providing for new development, and improvement of the environment, in a way that promotes a sustainable pattern of growth and seeks to mitigate climate change and adapt to its effects.

S2: Producing a spatial strategy

1. The development plan should set out a spatial strategy setting clear expectations for the location of development and where land should be protected or enhanced for specific purposes, by identifying at the most appropriate plan level:

 a. Settlements within the development plan area (applying the definition in the glossary at Annex B), whether existing or proposed, and their boundaries;

 b. The location and boundary of town centres within settlements, or other specific areas where particular approaches to development apply;

 c. Land that is protected or proposed to be enhanced for specific purposes (such as habitat improvement) and which places limits on whether development proposals may be acceptable or where specific policies apply. Designations and associated policies to safeguard gaps between settlements should be used only where they are necessary to maintain the separate identities of the settlements and their physical separation, should be no larger than needed to achieve this aim, and should not apply to land in the Green Belt; and

 d. Sites allocated for development to meet the identified need for housing and other uses in the area and for local and strategic infrastructure (including any proposals to enable the development of land around stations).

2. The spatial strategy should be illustrated on a key diagram forming part of a spatial development strategy and/or local plan (or minerals and waste plan, where relevant), with the boundaries of specific policy areas, land-use designations and allocations identified on a policies map.

National decision-making policies

S3: Presumption in favour of sustainable development

1. Decisions on development proposals should apply a presumption in favour of sustainable development. This means:

 a. Policy S4 in this Framework should be applied when considering development proposals within settlements;

 b. Outside settlements, policy S5 should be applied; and

 c. In all locations, development proposals that accord with both an up-to-date development plan and the decision-making policies in this Framework should be approved without delay.

2. Where a development proposal falls partly within and partly outside a settlement, policies S4 and S5 should be applied to the relevant parts which are inside or outside of the settlement boundary (as appropriate), before coming to an overall view on the proposal.

S4: Principle of development within settlements

1. Development proposals within settlements should be approved unless the benefits of doing so would be substantially outweighed by any adverse effects, when assessed against the national decision-making policies in this Framework.

2. In applying policy S4, the circumstances in which the benefits of approving development are likely to be substantially outweighed by adverse effects include (but are not restricted to) situations where the development proposal would:

 a. Have a substantial adverse impact in relation to:

  i. The allocation or safeguarding of land or buildings for particular uses in the development plan, unless there is no reasonable prospect of an application coming forward for the allocated use, or there is evidence that the safeguarding is no longer appropriate; or

  ii. The application of the policies in this Framework for existing recreational land and facilities (HC7), Local Green Space (HC8), areas of particular importance for biodiversity and geodiversity (N6), Protected Landscapes (N4) and development within residential curtilages (L2(1)(d)).

 b. Involve the whole or partial loss of undeveloped land which is used for a cemetery or burial ground; or for water storage and/or flood risk management (unless suitable compensatory provision is made that does not increase the risk of flooding either on or off-site); or

 c. Fail to comply with one of the national decision-making policies which state that development proposals should be refused in specific circumstances.

S5: Principle of development outside settlements

1. Only certain forms of development should be approved outside settlements, as set out in the following list. These should be approved, unless the benefits of doing so would be substantially outweighed by any adverse effects, when assessed against the national decision-making policies in this Framework:

 a. Development for: agriculture, horticulture and forestry; outdoor sport and recreation; allotments; cemeteries and burial grounds; mineral extraction and processing; engineering operations and infrastructure (including for transport, energy, water and telecommunications); roadside facilities in accordance with policy TR5; national defence and security; or which is solely for nature conservation, restoration and/or enhancement;

 b. Development for rural businesses and services, including tourism, where a location outside settlements is shown to be necessary;

 c. The reuse, extension, alteration or replacement of an existing building, provided that the existing building is of permanent and substantial construction, is lawful in planning terms, and any extension or alteration will not result in a disproportionate increase in size compared to the existing building^{[footnote 25]}. In the case of proposals for a replacement building, it should be for the same use and not disproportionately larger than the one it replaces;

 d. The redevelopment of previously developed land (including a material change of use to residential or mixed-use including residential);

 e. Limited infilling within groups of houses;

 f. An exception site as provided for in policy HO10, or development brought forward under a Community Right to Build Order or Neighbourhood Development Order;

 g. Development which would address an evidenced unmet need for gypsy, traveller or travelling showpeople accommodation^{[footnote 26]}, provided it meets the criteria in policy HO12;

 h. Residential and mixed-use development which would:

  i. Be within reasonable walking distance of a well-connected station (applying the definitions in the glossary at Annex B);

  ii. Be physically well-related to the station or the settlement within which the station is located;

  iii. Be of a scale which can be accommodated taking into account the existing or proposed availability of infrastructure; and

  iv. Not prejudice any proposals for long-term comprehensive development in the same location.

 i. The development of land allocated for that purpose in the development plan (where this lies outside settlements); and

 j. Development which would address an evidenced unmet need (including, but not limited to, development proposals involving the provision of housing where the local planning authority cannot demonstrate a five year supply of deliverable housing sites or scores below 75% in the most recent Housing Delivery Test^{[footnote 27]}), and where the development would:

  i. Be physically well-related to an existing settlement^{[footnote 28]} (unless the nature of the development would make this inappropriate) and be of a scale which can be accommodated taking into account the existing or proposed availability of infrastructure; or

  ii. Comprise major development for freight and logistics purposes which accords with policy E3.

2. In applying this policy, the circumstances in which the benefits of approving development proposals are likely to be substantially outweighed by adverse effects include, but are not restricted to, situations where the development proposal would fail to comply with one of the national decision-making policies which state that development proposals should be refused in specific circumstances.

3. Development proposals comprising isolated homes, which are those lying outside settlements or groups of houses, should not be approved other than in accordance with policy HO11.

4. Development proposals which do not fall within one of the categories set out in this policy should only be approved in exceptional circumstances, where the benefits of the proposal would substantially outweigh the adverse effects, including to the character of the countryside and in relation to promoting sustainable patterns of movement.

5. This policy does not apply to development proposals in the Green Belt or on land designated as Local Green Space, which should instead be determined in accordance with policies HC8, GB6, GB7 and/or GB8 (as appropriate). However, where development would not be inappropriate in these locations (through the application of policies HC8 and GB7), proposals should be approved unless the benefits of doing so would be substantially outweighed by any adverse effects, when assessed against the national decision-making policies in this Framework, and applying paragraph 2 of this policy.

S6: Neighbourhood plans and the presumption

1. For development proposals involving the provision of housing, the benefits of approving development are likely to be substantially outweighed by the adverse effects where a proposal would conflict with a neighbourhood plan, provided the following apply: 

 a. The neighbourhood plan became part of the development plan five years or less before the date on which the decision is made; and 

 b. The neighbourhood plan contains allocations to meet its identified housing requirement (see policy HO2).

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Footnotes

23. Where a spatial development strategy is in place, the local plan should plan for the level of development provided for in the spatial development strategy covering the area of the local plan. ↩

24. The policies referred to are those in this Framework (rather than those in development plans) relating to: habitats sites and/or designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest; land designated as Green Belt, Local Green Space, a National Landscape, a National Park (or within the Broads Authority) or defined as Heritage Coast; irreplaceable habitats; designated heritage assets; and areas at risk of flooding or coastal change. ↩

25. The existing building is to be assessed as the property as existing on the date of the publication of this Framework. ↩

26. Including (but not limited to) where the relevant local planning authority cannot demonstrate a five year supply of deliverable sites as set out in policy HO3(1)(a) or (b). ↩

27. See Annex D: Housing calculations and supply. ↩

28. Where a development proposal is located outside a settlement, and separated from the existing built-up area by virtue of being beyond the outside edge of an allocated site that has yet to be fully developed, consideration should be given to whether the proposal is in a suitable location should the allocated development not proceed. ↩