Here you will find our response to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG) consultation ‘National Planning Policy Framework: proposed reforms and other changes to the planning system’ (10th March 2026).

This response was developed by members of the Strategic Policy Panel, England Policy Group, and other CIEEM members.

Key points:

• The environmental safeguards and actions are weaker in these proposals than in previous iterations of the NPPF.
• Changing the primary focus of the planning system from delivering sustainable development to prioritising short-term economic growth is unacceptable.
• This shift in focus risks greenlighting unsustainable developments that destroy nature, reinforces the harmful narrative that ‘nature is nuisance’, and fails to recognise the many societal benefits restoring nature can bring.
• The proposals are unnecessarily restrictive for Local Authorities who wish to do more to protect and restore nature, particularly by placing limits on biodiversity net gain (BNG).
• The proposals generally neglect to place the planning system in a wider environmental context, failing to make clear links between this framework and wider environmental policies and targets.