Planning reform in 2026: what a year of change means for developers

For developers, investors and landowners, there is plenty to be positive about. The Government wants a planning system that is more rules-based, more consistent nationally and better able to support housing, infrastructure and economic growth.

But that doesn’t mean planning is necessarily becoming easier.

In fact, one of the clearest themes running through this year’s reforms is that more of the work, evidence and risk is moving to the beginning of the development process. Developers increasingly need to understand the planning, environmental and technical issues affecting a scheme before an application is determined, rather than assuming problems can be resolved further down the line.

The latest changes: biodiversity and planning decisions

The latest significant change arrived on 2 November, when Biodiversity Net Gain requirements were extended to Development Consent Order applications for nationally significant infrastructure projects. These projects now need to deliver at least a 10% biodiversity net gain.

For infrastructure developers, BNG can affect land requirements, project design, costs and long-term maintenance, particularly where off-site solutions are needed. It therefore needs to form part of the wider development strategy rather than being treated as a standalone environmental consideration.

Just days earlier, on 31 October, the National Scheme of Delegation came into effect, establishing national rules around which planning decisions are delegated and which applications can be considered by planning committees. There can also be judicial review consequences where an application is determined by committee when it should have been delegated.

These may sound like procedural changes, but they reflect something bigger: a push for greater consistency in how planning decisions are made across the country.

August was a major turning point

For many in the property industry, however, the most important development of the year came on 17 August, with the publication of the new National Planning Policy Framework.

This was much more than a tweak to existing policy. The NPPF was substantially restructured, separating plan-making from national decision-making policies, with the latter applying from the date of publication.

Could land around stations be worth another look?

One area where that review could prove particularly interesting is land around well-connected railway stations. The new framework provides stronger support for residential and mixed-use development in these locations, including more intensive development in certain circumstances.

Developers, investors and asset managers should therefore be asking whether previous assumptions about the development potential of land around transport hubs still hold true. The answer won’t always be that more development is possible. Station connectivity, walking distance, infrastructure, existing uses and Green Belt considerations all still matter. But there is certainly a case for taking another look at some existing portfolios.

Environmental reform is gathering pace too

Planning policy hasn’t been the only area of change.

On 6 August, changes to BNG introduced new exemptions, including an exemption for qualifying development of 0.2 hectares or below and temporary development, while the previous self-build and custom-build exemption was removed.

Alongside this, Environmental Delivery Plans and the Nature Restoration Fund point towards a more strategic approach to dealing with some environmental impacts.

These mechanisms are being introduced progressively, so they aren’t a universal replacement for existing ecological mitigation and they don’t replace BNG. They do however raise another set of commercial questions about who bears environmental costs, when payments need to be made, and what happens if the environmental regime changes during a long development programme.

Getting applications right first time

Another important change earlier in the year was a shift towards a “submit once, submit right” approach to planning appeals. For relevant applications submitted from 1 April 2026, appeals are principally based on the information available at the application stage, with restrictions on introducing new evidence later.

This places greater emphasis on the quality of the original application. Technical evidence needs to be commissioned in good time, and development teams need to anticipate potential objections and grounds for refusal before a decision is made.

The changes aren’t confined to individual planning applications either. Strategic planning is returning through Spatial Development Strategies, while devolution and increasing mayoral involvement mean larger developers may need to look beyond their traditional relationship with an individual local planning authority.

The best development strategy may therefore involve thinking not only about what a local plan says today, but where the wider area is heading over the next decade or more.

So where does this leave developers?

Taken together, 2026’s reforms point towards a planning system that is more strategic, nationally directed and focused on getting development moving.

There are real opportunities. Some previously constrained sites may now have a stronger planning case, while land around transport hubs may offer greater development potential.

At the same time, developers are being asked to do more earlier. Planning, environmental, infrastructure and technical risk increasingly needs to be understood before applications are determined and, in some cases, before land is acquired or funding committed.

For me, that’s the big lesson from this year. There are opportunities in the new planning landscape, but taking advantage of them will depend on identifying those opportunities early and doing the groundwork needed to turn them into deliverable schemes.