Proposed Changes for Heritage in Upcoming NPPF Revisions
1/4/20262 min read
The proposed new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) marks a significant moment for heritage planning in England. Published for consultation in December 2025, the draft framework introduces the most substantial changes to national heritage policy in over a decade. While final wording is still awaited, the proposals signal a clear shift in how heritage is expected to be managed, assessed, and integrated into the planning system.
Rather than weakening heritage protection, the draft NPPF aims to simplify policy, strengthen plan-making, and promote the positive reuse of historic assets — all within a planning system under pressure to deliver growth and housing.
A New Direction for Heritage in the NPPF
One of the headline changes is the introduction of a new heritage chapter (Chapter 20: Conserving and Enhancing the Historic Environment), replacing the existing Chapter 16. This restructured chapter separates plan-making policies from decision-taking policies, giving heritage a more strategic role in Local Plans.
Under the proposed framework, local planning authorities would be expected to clearly set out how heritage assets will be conserved and enhanced, how historic character contributes to placemaking and identity, and how heritage supports sustainable development and regeneration. This represents a shift away from treating heritage purely as a development constraint, towards recognising it as an active component of good planning.
The End of “Less Than Substantial Harm”?
One of the most discussed aspects of the draft NPPF is the removal of the phrase “less than substantial harm”. This terminology has long been criticised for being unclear, inaccessible, and a frequent source of legal challenge.
In its place, the proposed policy introduces a clearer range of potential effects on heritage significance: enhancement, no effect, harm, substantial harm, and total loss. Decision-makers would still be required to give substantial weight to the conservation of designated heritage assets, in line with statutory duties, but with clearer expectations that impacts must be explicitly described and justified.
A More Positive Approach to Heritage Reuse
A central theme of the proposed new NPPF is a more positive approach to the use of heritage assets. The draft policy explicitly recognises that long-term reuse and adaptation are often essential to the survival of historic buildings.
The long-standing reference to “optimum viable use” has been removed. Instead, the draft NPPF highlights that bringing heritage assets back into use, supporting climate adaptation and carbon reduction, and enabling sustainable regeneration can themselves be public benefits capable of outweighing harm where impacts are appropriately managed.
Stronger Role for Local Plans and Evidence
The draft NPPF places greater emphasis on evidence-led plan-making, with stronger expectations around up-to-date Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans, effective use of Historic Environment Records (HERs), and increased use of local heritage lists to identify non-designated heritage assets of community value.
What Could This Mean for Planning Decisions?
The proposed changes do not remove statutory heritage protections under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. However, they do suggest a planning environment where heritage impacts must be more clearly articulated, positive heritage outcomes are explicitly supported, and heritage is embedded earlier in plan-making rather than argued late in decision-taking.
What Happens Next?
The consultation on the revised NPPF closed in March 2026, and the Government is currently reviewing responses. While amendments are possible, the overall direction is clear: heritage will remain a protected asset, but one expected to play a more active role in shaping sustainable growth.
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