Draft Changes to National Planning Policy Framework to Encourage Nursery Provision

Draft Changes to National Planning Policy Framework to Encourage Nursery Provision

The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) is the document that sets out the government’s approach to land use planning. In other words, it helps planning decision makers determine what should be built and where. In principle this should mean that when new homes are built, they are within easy reach of critical facilities such as GPs, police stations, parks, and of course, early years providers.

However, until now early years provision has been conspicuously absent from the document’s guidance. School places have been mentioned, but that’s it. However, the latest draft of the incoming Labour government’s proposed amendment to the NPPF will change that. It specifically adds both early years and post-16 education to the framework, which will mean local authorities will have to give ‘great weight’ to such considerations when reviewing planning applications. With an additional 100,000 childcare places needed to fulfil the government’s policy objectives, this could prove critical.

The government’s intention is that over the next five years, 1.5 million new homes will be built, making use of so-called ‘grey belt’ land. These new communities will require early years provision, and when the new NPPF is realised, local planning authorities will need to take this into account.