What Does The Draft NPPF Mean For Energy & Environmental Planning Policies?

The draft NPPF provides an interesting balance between pushing environmental performance and largely preventing quantitative standards that go beyond the requirements of Building Regulations. Key energy & environmental aspects are summarised below.

PM13: Setting standards

• Prevents the setting of quantitative standards beyond Building Regulations (other than water efficiency and accessibility), which would prevent policies requiring reductions in operational CO2, primary energy demand and fabric energy efficiency (FEE).
• However, quantitative standards are allowed for infrastructure provision. Arguably this could include energy use intensity (EUI) of developments
• Notably, embodied/whole life carbon is not regulated, and hence quantitative targets could be set in planning policy.

CC1: Planning for climate change

• Seeks radical reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and for resilience and adaptation to climate change
• With continued focus here on carbon reduction and climate change, there appears room for planning authorities to develop policies in a number of areas, albeit for compliance with PM13, these may need to be in different areas and/or more innovative than to date. This could include a greater emphasis on development location & built form, and their relationship to energy use and thermal comfort.

CC2: Mitigation of climate change

• Looks for design approaches that conserve energy, structures/materials re-use and decentralised energy (e.g. heat networks) as well as improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings.
• Expect a greater emphasis on pre-redevelopment audits and pre-demolition audits to prove that new build is carbon efficient versus retention and refurbishment.

The consultation closes on 10^th March 2026.