With the General Election now due to take place on Thursday 4th July, we are beginning to see proposals coming forward from the main political parties relating to housing land supply and planning in England, with further announcements expected as campaigning continues. March 2012 brought major reforms: the abolition of regional planning, creation of neighbourhood planning, and the introduction of the NPPF - streamlining significant planning policy into one document. Savills looks back at the outcomes over the past 12 years, to assess which aspects of the NPPF have contributed to improving housing supply.

Post NPPF Growth (2012 - 2016)

From a land supply and planning perspective, the four years to March 2016 were characterised by an increase in new home delivery, supported by the steady increase in adoption of NPPF-compliant local plans and homes gaining consent.

Having these plans in place increased the extent to which local authorities had up to date housing targets.  The strategic policies in these plans helped ensure growth in national land supply and, by extension, the volume of consents coming through the planning system.

This positive planning created an environment which encouraged an extensive increase in delivery of new homes.

Towards the tail end of this period, the country prepared for a General Election. The new Conservative Government included within its manifesto a commitment to deliver a series of Garden Cities.  However, this agenda was overtaken by events relating to the the EU referendum, which set a backdrop for political and economic change that would continue over the course of the following decade.

Effective Operations (2016-2020)

Between 2016 and 2019, the English planning system was delivering a consistently high volume of consents, many of which were converted into new homes. The system benefitted from affordability-based housing need measurement and a delivery test that held local authorities to account for new home delivery.

At a national level, a steady and consistent supply of planning consents of over 300,000 homes per annum created space for new home delivery. And while the scale and location of some consents presented delivery challenges, the boost in new home completions was noticeable, reaching a peak of 248,600 net additional dwellings in the year to March 2020.

There was some indication of the planning system stalling towards the end of this period, with reductions in both land supply and the number of new consents granted. Changes in Government and inconsistencies in policy reduced clarity in the housebuilding sector. The effects of a long-term reduction in local authority funding also became apparent, with a 25% reduction in planning officers between 2009 and 2020, and slower decision making in planning teams as a result.

Market Uncertainty (2020 - 2024)

From 2020 onwards, the planning landscape has been characterised by uncertainty. The housebuilding industry has been navigating challenging market conditions, and national policy direction has also reduced capacity for new home delivery.

With uncertainty around issues like housing need and Green Belt release, local authorities have been stalling or withdrawing Local Plans at very late stages of production.

In turn, this has reduced land supply, reduced consented land and reduced the number of new homes delivered.

This period has been marked by a period of significant debate and policy shift from the 'build, build, build' agenda announced in June 2020, which was eventually converted to legislation in the Levelling Up Act in late 2023.

How could the planning system be more effective?