Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Not Addressed
Amend NPPF's sustainable development definition to prioritise environmental sustainability and strengthen safeguards
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government should amend the definition of the presumption in favour of ‘sustainable development’ in the December 2024 revision of the NPPF to give greater weight to environmental sustainability. This should include strengthening safeguards against environmentally unsustainable, unplanned and speculative development. These revised definitions should be provided to the Committee in the Government’s response to this report. (Recommendation, Paragraph 45)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government's response discusses the abolition of the 'Duty to Cooperate' and general biodiversity policy in the NPPF, but does not address the recommendation to amend the definition of 'sustainable development' to give greater weight to environmental sustainability.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government · verbatim extract
Not Addressed
10. We are consulting on changes to the presumption in favour of sustainable development as part of our wider consultation on changes to the NPPF that was published on 16 December 2025. The details of this consultation can be found at National Planning Policy Framework: proposed reforms and other changes to the planning system. We will consider the responses received, including any in relation to how environmental sustainability is addressed, before finalising the publication of a revised Framework.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗