New National Planning Policy Framework published
The Government published the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 17 August 2026. It came into effect on the same day. This means that planning decisions will need to take it into account immediately. The new NPPF is split into two sets of planning policies:
one set to help Cornwall Council write the next local plan, and
the other to be used in planning decision making.
This is the Government’s summary: Creating a clear, rules-based planning system - GOV.UK.
You can find more information on our Planning Changes webpage.
New Planning Constraint Checking Tool Launched
A new planning constraint checking tool is now live and available on the constraints on development web page.
This tool enables you to:
Plot the site on the interactive map
View constraints relevant to the planning process
Produce a report of relevant constraints
Cornwall Land Use Study published
The Land Use Study has now been published. This will provide the basis for a future Land Use Framework for Cornwall. It outlines the next steps to support the emerging Spatial Development Strategy (SDS) and new Local Plan.
You can find more information on our Cornwall Monitoring Report webpage.
Planning enforcement in the top 5
Cornwall Council is one of the top 5 authorities in England for planning enforcement. Latest Government information shows we served 90 enforcement notices in 2024/2025. 18 of the notices went to appeal, with 17 then upheld. This is a 94% success rate which is above national average. You can read the full article at: Planning Enforcement good news story April 2026.
Planning news Summer 2026
We have published our Summer quarterly planning newsletters:
Planning News for Local Councils and Agents
You can find links to these newsletters on our Planning News page.
Our next newsletter is due in October 2026.