The adopted NPPF (August 2026) maintains the direction established within the draft – the reinforcement of the relationship between design quality, local character and placemaking, with some key changes that will inform case-making and decision-making:
L1: Planning for an effective use of land
- This policy, which concerns the preparation of development plans, now specifically states that:
- Development plans should set out where particular parts of the plan area provide scope for intensification through additional development (1aii).
- Masterplans, alongside design guides and codes, should be used to illustrate opportunities for making more effective use of land (1aiii and 1b).
- Development plans should set ambitious but deliverable expectations for the scale and density of development on allocated sites (1bi).
L2: Making effective use of land
- This policy states that substantial weight should be given to the benefits where a development proposal would achieve one or more of several criteria.
- Part d of this policy relates to the criteria for creating additional homes within settlements. There is greater emphasis in parts i and iii relating to the impact of additional development on the character of buildings, its surroundings and the overall character of the area.
L3: Achieving appropriate densities
- Parts 2 and 3 of this policy has been substantially rewritten and expanded.
- Greater clarity is provided for development within and outside settlements, as well as those within reasonable walking distance of a well-connected station (i.e., 800m or around 10 minutes’ walk time).
- In terms of townscape, the focus on development responding to the existing character of an area (also included in L2) is set out in relation to development within settlements (2a).
L4: Residential extensions (removed)
- This policy, which concerned development proposals to extend existing dwelling houses has been removed in its entirety. While the overall aspiration of that policy - to make more effective use of land – is aligned with the rest of Chapter 12, it was overly prescriptive for national policy. Densification should be supported, but this needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis. That sort of policy is best delivered at a local level.
DP3: Key principles for well-designed places
- The key change in this policy is that the 'context' criteria - i.e., that development proposals should respond to their context (the history, character and features of their site and setting) - included in the draft NPPF has been extracted from the main list to form its own part of this policy (1). This reinforces the importance of this consideration for all development sites.
- Part 3 states that development should be refused if, without clear justification, they conflict with paragraph 1 of this policy or relevant aspects of the principles in paragraph 2 etc. The reference to 'without clear justification' within is also a new addition. In the draft version, there was no such caveat.
What does this mean in practice?
In townscape terms, the NPPF 2026 maintains the direction established in the draft. The importance of development responding to context has been strengthened in several key policies. Aligned with the direction of other recent policy announcements, such as the Draft London Plan, there is a greater emphasis on intensification and density.
These changes put demonstrating how a development responds appropriately to context and, by extension, the need for robust townscape analysis, front and centre in national policy. That emphasis on robust townscape assessment is particularly relevant in light of the ambition for intensification/densification and the changing character of places, where it may be necessary to shape and define a new character.
Our informed approach to townscape assessment is aligned with best practice and we have the experience to navigate this new policy context and to help deliver successful new places.
For further information on townscape in the NPPF, please get in touch with Richard Brookes or Victoria Bellamy.
27 August 2026
[1] Where next for contextual design, townscape and placemaking in the new draft NPPF - Turley
