Changes to National planning rules
The Government published a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 17 August 2026. The new rules started on the same day so they must now be used when making planning decisions.
The new NPPF has two sets of planning policies:
One set helps councils to write new local plans
The other set is used when deciding planning applications
Most of the new rules are similar to the old ones but there are some important changes. These include:
A new approach that is more supportive of development both inside and outside settlements
A new category for medium-sized developments of 10-49 homes
The new national policies must now be considered in all planning decisions. If a local plan or neighbourhood plan policy does not match the new national policies it may carry less weight when decisions are made.
We are checking our local plan policies to see how well they match the new NPPF and will share a summary as soon as possible. Until then, planning decisions will need to take account of both the local plan and the new national policies. Some planning applications may need extra assessment or updated reports.
We will update our advice on the Interim Planning Position Policy Statement as soon as possible. Any updates and briefing notes about how these changes affect planning in Cornwall will be published on our website under What's New in Planning.
Changes to National planning policy and housing targets
Government’s new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) came into force on 12 December 2024. This sets out revised guidance and policies for planning across England.
Government published a standard housing method alongside the NPPF. This is the method that we must use to understand how many new homes should be built each year in Cornwall. We must now plan for 4,421 homes in Cornwall instead of the 2,707 that we have been planning for under the current Local Plan.
Where a plan is more than 5 years old, we must be able to show that the plan can meet the new housing requirement of 4,421 homes per year for it to remain ‘up to date’.
We have concluded that this is not currently possible and on that basis some of our policies in the Local Plan will be considered ‘out of date’ for decision making. However, where our policies remain consistent with the NPPF they can continue to be used for decision making. This is true of the majority of our policies across the Local Plan and Neighbourhood Plans.
View the Interim Policy Position Statement
We believe that most of our planning policies can continue to be used for planning decisions in conformity with the NPPF.
To help decision making under the ‘Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development’ the ‘Interim Policy Position Statement’ sets out:
Which policies we think are out of date and which ones can still be used
How our policies reflect national policies
How we will make positive planning decisions
Our principles for development
Information about a new local plan
The presumption in favour of sustainable development is also known as the "tilted balance". You can see how planning decisions are made using the tilted balance in this guidance.
The Interim Statement was consulted on between 24 January and 21February 2025 and adopted by the Cornwall Growth Board on 27 March 2025.