Planning matters

This week’s newly unveiled draft National Planning Policy Framework (‘NPPF’) is notably silent on changes to town centre policies. Housebuilding played a central role in Labour’s manifesto and has been a key focus of political discussion both pre- and post- election, and it is therefore unsurprising that the quest to increase the number of homes, and the introduction of ‘Grey Belt’ land, constitute the centrepiece of proposed changes to the NPPF.

James’ recent blog post speculated on whether town centres would play a role in updates to the NPPF. He noted the distinct lack of changes to town centre policies since the introduction of the NPPF in 2012, despite the significant societal and industry changes that have been experienced since that point.

Whilst Angela Rayner’s speech stated that proposals would ‘drive growth, create jobs and breathe life back into towns and cities’, their omission from the draft text has shown that town centres are by no means at the forefront of the new Government’s planning agenda. It is widely agreed that our towns and cities across the country need decisive action to encourage them to thrive. The draft NPPF provided a real opportunity for the new Labour government to show early on that town centres will not be neglected and will form a key component of their strategy for national growth.

Last year, I reported on the real-world impacts of the levelling-up fund and other funding streams on towns and cities nationally, demonstrating that public sector funding can make real difference as a positive catalyst for town centre change, despite the mixed critical reception the levelling-up agenda received at the time. Perhaps, in a similar vein, the new Government views that planning policy is not the solution for boosting town centres – and other financial tools are better suited. There was after all significant focus in Labour’s manifesto on proposed reforms to the business rate system in a bid help brick and mortar shops. We will wait to see what comes of this.

The past decade has shown us that town centres need concerted efforts, engagement with stakeholders (and, in some cases, direct intervention) to prosper. The new Government needs to ensure that centres are viewed as a core part of the growth agenda. For all of the talk of Green Belt, housing in town centres should form a key part of the strategy for growth alongside traditional and emerging formats for retail, commercial leisure, entertainment and recreation, businesses, cultural attractions, and civic infrastructure to ‘breathe life back into towns and cities’.