Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 7
7
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
A response document is linked to this report, dated 13 March 2026. Response attribution to this recommendation has not been verified. Read the response document ↗