England's planning rules limit land use
The updated National Planning Policy Framework has been criticised for failing to fully embed the principle of multifunctional land use, potentially impacting housing, farming, and environmental goals.
England's updated planning framework has missed a key opportunity to demand that land serve multiple purposes simultaneously, according to environmental experts. The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which guides local councils and planning authorities, only partially delivers on the government's own principle of multifunctionality, a gap that will impact sectors from housing to farming.
Sally Hayns, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), argues that land is expected to deliver more than ever. It must provide 1.5 million new homes, secure water supplies, host infrastructure for 95% clean power by 2030, and meet the commitment to protect 30% of England for nature by 2030. The assessment of finite land is therefore critical.
Grey belt definition weakens protections
A significant change involves the definition of 'grey belt' land. This category of lower-grade green belt land is now more readily developable. The new NPPF removes exclusions that previously kept designated wildlife habitats and flood risk areas out of the grey belt altogether. Land will now be judged largely on its readiness for construction rather than its potential for flood buffering, habitat connectivity, or carbon storage.
Hayns warns this does not change the physical facts of the landscape. Land that the old rules would have excluded on flood risk grounds is still flood-exposed land. Development on such land risks being poorly adapted to climate change from the outset.
Biodiversity Net Gain ambition capped
The framework also alters the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). This rule requires new developments to leave nature measurably better off. While 10% improvement is the legal minimum, many councils had been pursuing higher targets to add community value through green space.
The new rules constrain that flexibility. The 10% floor effectively becomes the maximum practical target for most development, regardless of a council's or developer's ambition. This matters because every hectare of habitat gain counts towards the national 30by30 nature commitment. Nature delivered through BNG is multipurpose, adding value to housing and acting as a delivery lever for broader environmental goals.
Where the framework promotes multifunctionality
Some elements of the new NPPF do encourage land to serve more than one purpose. A new 'default yes' for housing within walking distance of well-connected stations treats sites as both transport hubs and residential areas. Local Nature Recovery Strategies now carry more weight in plan-making, meaning sites for housing must also be assessed for habitat restoration potential.
Wildfire is recognised for the first time as a design risk, turning a housing site into fire resilience infrastructure. The framework now expects 'swift bricks' - small nest boxes built into brickwork - by default, allowing a wall to shelter both a family and a bird. Protection against major development in Protected Landscapes has been strengthened, with the NPPF stating it should be refused in landscapes that already store carbon, support habitats, and host visitors.
Ecologists see daily how land works best when asked to do several jobs. A site can be a home and a wildfire defence, or a community garden with solar panels. The new NPPF, however, narrows what land can do at the exact moment national needs require it to do more. Hayns concludes that getting multifunctionality right requires bringing ecologists in when sites are chosen, not after plans are drawn. The government's forthcoming New Towns will be watched to see if they can build in flood resilience, habitats, and green space from the start, rather than as an afterthought.
