The government has introduced new rules to fast-track the delivery of thousands of homes around England’s train, tram and underground stations.
Under the government’s new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), there will be a default ‘yes’ for homes within reasonable walking distance of well-connected stations, alongside new minimum expectations for how much housing should be built in these areas.
Angela Rayner, secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, said: “A safe, secure home is the foundation of opportunity, but too many people are being priced out of the communities where they want to live and work. By unlocking thousands of homes around well-connected transport hubs, we’re helping people live closer to work, school and the services they rely on, while backing local businesses and driving growth in our communities. That’s how we’ll tackle the housing crisis and raise living standards for people in every corner of the country.”
John Healey, chancellor of the exchequer, added: “Making it easier for people to buy their own home is about more than a house. It is about security and families feeling they have a place they can truly call their own. We want to drive growth in every postcode and help more working people into home ownership. A secure home is the heart of all our lives, helping people put down roots, plan for the future and build a good life for themselves and their families. This is about creating opportunity, prosperity and stronger communities across the country.”
Heidi Alexander, transport secretary, said: “Earlier this year, we published Better Connected: A Strategy for Integrated Transport. The steps announced today act on a key commitment we made as part of that strategy, to support densification of development around well-connected stations to create vibrant, sustainable and well-connected homes and places. The changes being announced today turn long-held ambitions into reality for our communities. Densification, combined with high quality walking, wheeling, cycling and public transport, will support healthier lifestyles, improve access to jobs and services, and protect important public transport services.”
Industry response:
Angus Irvine, partner at Rapleys, said: “The government’s move to introduce a ‘default yes’ for housing around well-connected railway stations and other transport nodes is sensible in principle, but it should not be presented as an entirely new solution to the housing crisis. It is also a policy not ‘consent’ – applications must still be determined against the wider development plan and all other relevant planning considerations. It is undoubtedly a positive step.
“It strengthens an established planning principle and could help unlock some very good and genuinely sustainable development opportunities around stations and other transport nodes. But government must not confuse what is consentable with what is deliverable. If it genuinely wants a step change in housing numbers, the immediate focus needs to be on viability, affordability, infrastructure delivery and the cumulative burden of regulation as much as it is on securing planning permission in the first place.”
Nicholle Kingsley, partner, real estate, at Mishcon de Reya, added: “The focus on development around well-connected stations and greater density is largely as expected, but it is a welcome addition and should be fully supported. The real test, however, will be whether these reforms are accompanied by action to tackle the practical barriers holding up delivery.
“What is surprising is how little is currently being said about the potential role of AI in speeding up planning decisions. The government is simultaneously looking to streamline consultation and enable more decisions to be taken under delegated authority. There is an obvious opportunity to explore how AI could support planning officers with those decisions – for example, by interrogating national, regional and local planning policy and consultation responses – while retaining appropriate professional oversight. If the ambition is genuinely to make the system more efficient and predictable, technology surely has to form part of that conversation.”
Paul Wakefield, legal planning partner at Shakespeare Martineau, said: “The newest iteration of the NPPF is far firmer and more prescriptive in an effort to make sure that national planning policy is actually being delivered at a local authority level. This has the benefit of reducing any ambiguity in planning policies, shortening the time taken for decisions to be made, minimising the number of delays and making for a smoother overall process. This revised policy has made it clear the government is serious about tackling the housing crisis and driving forward development.
“However, the political winds are changing. While there has always been a tension between national and local political agendas, newly-formed councils, especially those that are no longer majority Labour, will be looking to make their mark on their local authority and may challenge development decisions as a result. Planning decisions can also be incredibly controversial with the public, and some councillors may not want to risk upsetting the apple cart in the early days of their tenure. The government’s ambitious planning policy revisions may ultimately be derailed before they deliver.”
Barry Jessup, managing director of Socius, added: “The government is right to focus on well-connected urban locations, but extending presumed development consents to greenbelt sites is a cop-out. These changes also fail to address the fundamental issues of housing delivery which are over-regulation and over-taxation. There are loads of urban brownfield sites ripe for development but whose viability has been decimated by government policy. We need interventions that help make brownfield development viable – not encourage building on already shrinking green belt.”
Stephen Teagle, chief executive for partnerships at Vistry Group, said: “We welcome today’s announcement, which by prioritising developments near stations will enable more homes to be built in well-connected places where people want to live. Planning applications take far too long to process and the government’s plans to streamline requirements, with clear national policies, will reduce the burden on local authorities and address many of the bottlenecks that hold up housing delivery. We look forward to continuing to work with the government and local partners to build more affordable homes where they are needed most.”
Danny Pinder, policy director at Real Estate:UK, added: “Only once the full details of the government’s changes to the NPPF are published will it be possible to understand their likely impact on development. From the detail provided so far, the government is right to focus on well-connected areas which can support higher-density housing. These reforms are well-intentioned but planning policy alone won’t get homes built. Build-to-rent is one of the fastest and most effective ways to deliver high-quality homes at scale in well-connected urban areas, yet construction starts are down significantly year-on-year as viability remains challenging.
“Government can support delivery of build-to-rent through some relatively simple changes such as reinstating Multiple Dwellings Stamp Duty Relief, continuing to improve the speed and certainty of Building Safety Regulator approvals, and looking at the phasing of developer contributions so they don’t make otherwise deliverable schemes unviable. These simple interventions would then unleash the full potential of these planning changes.”
Conor Leyden, managing director of The LK Group, said: “Today’s announcement is a welcome and overdue recognition that housing and transport connectivity can’t be planned in isolation. A default ‘yes’ for homes near well-connected stations is exactly the kind of practical planning reform we’ve been calling for – it removes a layer of uncertainty that often leaves shovel-ready sites stuck on the shelf.
“We’re seeing the value of this approach first-hand at Stafford Station Gateway, where we delivered the ground investigation supporting the redevelopment of the former Saint-Gobain site on Doxey Road. That project shows what’s possible when brownfield land next to a station is unlocked for new homes, commercial space, and green public areas, and it’s the kind of development this policy should now accelerate across the country. With the right funding and environmental clarity behind it, we have the framework to repeat that success at pace near stations across the country.”
Andy Cowan, associate partner, Carter Jonas (Manchester), added: “Today’s NPPF is more explicitly pro-growth, but also more pragmatic in how national policy should be applied. The sector will very much welcome Policy E2 (‘Meeting the need for business land and premises’) which gives ‘substantial weight’ to schemes that support the government’s industrial strategy, strengthening the position of employment land and premises and allowing policy to respond as economic priorities change.
“It’s also good to see more flexibility around densities near well-connected stations. Rather than applying a rigid numerical test, the emphasis is more clearly on making efficient use of sustainable locations while responding appropriately to context. The changes affecting non-designated heritage assets should also bring greater clarity by distinguishing more clearly between different levels of harm and total loss. Taken together, the changes suggest a more practical NPPF – one that supports growth while giving decision-makers greater scope to consider economic need, sustainability, context and the actual degree of harm involved.”
David Brown, director of planning, Newsteer, said: “The publication of a new NPPF is the most significant overhaul of national planning policy since the framework was first introduced in 2012. Encouragingly, the final version broadly retains the pro-growth, pro-delivery direction established by the December 2025 draft and builds upon the housing and economic growth agenda embedded within the February 2025 NPPF, providing greater clarity, a more structured policy framework and, in our view, a generally positive platform for accelerating plan making and decision taking across England and Wales.
“But policy reform and a pre-growth sentiment alone don’t build homes or deliver infrastructure. The most interesting question is where the reforms genuinely change development prospects, particularly in locations where sites have previously been constrained by policy, viability, politics, or local plan uncertainty. For many landowners and developers, now is the time to revisit landholdings (particularly those near stations!), portfolio strategies and stalled opportunities through the lens of the new framework and a political imperative to build more homes.”
Victoria Du Croz, partner and head of planning at Forsters, added: “The government’s much-awaited final National Planning Policy Framework represents a significant shift towards a more proactive planning system which will be welcomed by many as a necessary step to unlock development. The focus on unlocking housing in well-connected locations, with new minimum density expectations and a ‘default yes’ for suitable development around stations, even on greenbelt sites, should help make better use of land where infrastructure and transport links are already in place. However, this will only work if transport infrastructure capacity can keep up with demand.
“SME housebuilders should benefit from the introduction of a new medium-size category, although it will be important to have clarity on any exemptions to this rule, including around affordable housing provision and biodiversity net gain. The government must also tread carefully around its potential targeting of greenbelt sites and reluctance to raise energy efficiency standards over and above existing building regulations, as this may lead to friction with local planning authorities seeking to do more to meet the climate change crisis.
“The key test now is whether – and how quickly – all of these changes translate into spades in the ground. Having greater national clarity should in theory reduce the scope for local policy to block, or delay, sustainable development, but as always, the detail and implementation will be critical.
James Williams, planning associate at Vail Williams, said: “The government’s ambition to focus housing growth around well-connected transport hubs makes sound planning and placemaking sense. Greater certainty around the principle of development in sustainable locations should give developers and landowners more confidence to explore opportunities which may previously have been difficult to bring forward.
“However, a ‘default yes’ in planning policy should not be confused with a guarantee that homes will actually be delivered. Sites around stations can be complex, with constraints ranging from fragmented land ownership and existing uses to infrastructure capacity, abnormal development costs and the need to provide affordable housing and other planning obligations. Higher-density development can help support viability, but it does not remove those challenges.
“The key will be understanding individual sites in the round – not simply whether development is acceptable in planning terms, but whether it is technically and commercially deliverable. There is also an important role for local authorities. Strong, up-to-date local plans will enable councils to identify where growth should go and ensure that housing is accompanied by the transport, schools, healthcare, public realm and other infrastructure needed to create successful places.
“The direction of travel is positive, particularly where it brings greater certainty to the planning system. But if the government wants these reforms to translate into thousands of additional homes rather than simply more land with development potential, planning reform will need to be accompanied by a continued focus on viability, infrastructure investment and the practical barriers to delivery.”
