Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Accepted in Part
Ensure local planning authorities produce up-to-date local plans for appropriate development assessment
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government do more to ensure that local planning authorities are able to, and do, produce up to date local plans, to ensure that developments are being assessed by appropriate local policies, rather than being subject to the presumption in favour of sustainable development. (Recommendation, Paragraph 44)
Government Response Summary
The government has published a consultation on a new NPPF with policies to align plans with environmental requirements and aims to digitise the planning system with new digital tools to improve plan-making and monitoring. This partially addresses enabling local planning authorities to produce updated plans.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
19. On 16 December 2025, Government published a consultation on a new NPPF. This includes new policy on how development plans should reflect Environment Act requirements for Local Nature Recovery Strategies and Biodiversity Net Gain and proactively approach climate change, and setting out clearly that plans should contribute to compliance with national and local environmental targets and objectives. 20. In relation to the recommendation on auditing local plans, Government has made clear its aspiration to digitise the planning system to drive efficiency and made key data more readily available. The new system for plan-making (mentioned above) will incrementally deliver new digital tools and approaches on matters including housing requirements in plans, post- adoption monitoring of plans and mapping.