Update from GOV.UK for: National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

[Mike Priaulx]

Hi all,

The updated NPPF for England has been published today, the relevant paragraph is mostly unchanged from the consultation, paragraph N2: Improving the natural environment (f) (page 89):

"Minimise any adverse impacts on biodiversity and include features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs. Development proposals should incorporate integrated nest boxes (commonly known as swift bricks) into their construction unless there are compelling technical reasons which prevent their use, or would make them ineffective;"

Link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework

I will be referring to this paragraph in any comments to future consultations in England, including planning application consultations.

   

A reminder that the NPPF is government policy that local planning authorities in England implement. It's positive that the paragraph has not been weakened, and negative that they did not cross-reference the more detailed National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG) Natural Environment 2025 paragraph 017 as I (& others) requested, and of course negative that they did not add this to building regulations which would typically be implemented much more quickly.

Hannah may also have a view on this.

A government response to the consultation has been published, they noted that 48 Swift Groups commented, and that: "There was strong support for wildlife-friendly features such as swift bricks, although some considered these better addressed through building regulations" (page 123).

PDF link:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6a82fcec3bd75b81e2329a89/National_Planning_Policy_Framework_consultation_-_government_response.pdf

General link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/national-planning-policy-framework-proposed-reforms-and-other-changes-to-the-planning-system

All the best,

Mike

Member of SLN Swifts & Planning Group

---------- Forwarded message ---------

From: GOV.UK Email <gov.uk...@notifications.service.gov.uk>

Date: Mon, Aug 17, 2026 at 1:40 PM

Subject: Update from GOV.UK for: National Planning Policy Framework

To: <islingt...@gmail.com>

Update from GOV.UK for:

Planning and building

National Planning Policy Framework

Page summary:

The new National Planning Policy Framework sets out the government’s policies for plan-making and for making decisions on development proposals in England and how these are expected to be applied.

Change made:

First published.

Time updated:

1:40pm, 17 August 2026

[michael_priaulx]

Hi all,

Further to my email on 17/08/26, I have noted that new policy N2-1-f is significantly a "national decision-making policy" for England.

(The other type of policy is a "plan-making" policy, we can ignore those.)

Here is some text I suggest you send to your local planning contacts, if you are having difficulty getting them to set the planning conditions that you want:

The updated NPPF for England was published on 17/08/26.

The following policy is now a national decision,-making policy, and therefore a material consideration in planning decisions from now onwards:

Policy N2: Improving the natural environment: 1(f) (page 89):

"Minimise any adverse impacts on biodiversity and include features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs. Development proposals should incorporate integrated nest boxes (commonly known as swift bricks) into their construction unless there are compelling technical reasons which prevent their use, or would make them ineffective;"

Link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework

Please can you confirm that you will be implementing this policy on future planning permission decisions?

Also, please confirm that you will implement this in line with National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG) Natural Environment 2025 paragraph 017,

i.e. at least one swift brick per dwelling on average for new developments?

Any questions at all please let me know.

Would also be interesting to now at the swifts.planning email address what response you get.

All the best,

Mike

[michael_priaulx]

Hi all,

If you've not contacted your planning department yet, or if they don't reply and you need to follow up,

I have updated the text to them about policy N2 to include the words "of critical importance", see below - this is England only.

Note that the NPPF is a policy update, rather than guidance. It's not a legal requirement itself, but planning conditions are legal requirements.

Some online descriptions I've seen are not quite correct!

Planning laws are not always enforced but the problems usually arise because design-stage planning conditions are signed off and there's no condition set for post-construction stage.

To help avoid non-compliance we have a standard planning condition which is available in the SLN library (http://tinyurl.com/SLNlibrary ) to highlight to your planning department once they reply about N2:

* File name: Standard Planning Condition 29 03 2026

* Located in folder: Planning Process/ Planning Applications & Conditions

Finally, here's the updated text for your planning contact:

The updated NPPF for England was published on 17/08/26.

The following policy is now a national decision-making policy, and therefore a material consideration of critical importance in planning decisions from now onwards:

Policy N2: Improving the natural environment: 1(f) (page 89):

"Minimise any adverse impacts on biodiversity and include features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs. Development proposals should incorporate integrated nest boxes (commonly known as swift bricks) into their construction unless there are compelling technical reasons which prevent their use, or would make them ineffective;"

Link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework

Please can you confirm that you will be implementing this policy on future planning permission decisions?

Also, please confirm that you will implement this in line with National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG) Natural Environment 2025 paragraph 017,

i.e. at least one swift brick per dwelling on average for new developments?

All the best,

Mike

[michael_priaulx]

Hi all,

We've only had positive feedback so far from planning departments, that where relevant they'll apply the new NPPF and the NPPG to planning decisions in England.

I've now drafted a follow up email template to request that they use our standard planning condition, to improve compliance as evidence of installation is required to sign off the condition.

If you have not received a reply at all, you could still send this 2nd email because (as I always say) a lack of reply doesn't always mean your message has been ignored.

Any questions at all just let me know?

For reference I've also written the initial email text again below, and attached the standard planning condition which you can also find in the SLN library (http://tinyurl.com/SLNlibrary ):

* File name: Standard Planning Condition 29 03 2026

* Located in folder: Planning Process/ Planning Applications & Conditions

Email 2 = follow-up:

Many thanks for the reply. [Where relevant.]

Please could you consider using the Swifts Local Network standard planning condition which you will find attached -

this is to ensure suitable implementation of NPPF 2026 update decision-making policy of critical importance N2-1-f as compliance levels have been identified by monitoring to be low for biodiversity features especially when integrated into the building fabric, if the condition refers only to the design stage.

This condition places the onus on the developer to provide evidence at an appropriate stage of construction and avoid the need for enforcement.

Email 1 = initial contact (NB if you don't know an individual then I suggest you send to the generic planning@ email address - as for most such things Google is much better for finding this than the council website).

The updated NPPF for England was published on 17/08/26.

The following policy is now a national decision-making policy, and therefore a material consideration of critical importance in planning decisions from now onwards:

Policy N2: Improving the natural environment: 1(f) (page 89):

"Minimise any adverse impacts on biodiversity and include features which support priority or threatened species such as swifts, bats and hedgehogs. Development proposals should incorporate integrated nest boxes (commonly known as swift bricks) into their construction unless there are compelling technical reasons which prevent their use, or would make them ineffective;"

Link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework

Please can you confirm that you will be implementing this policy on future planning permission decisions?

Also, please confirm that you will implement this in line with National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG) Natural Environment 2025 paragraph 017,

i.e. at least one swift brick per dwelling on average for new developments?"

All the best, let me know at swifts....@gmail.com of any replies?

Many thanks,

Mike

On August 27, 2026, at 09:10, michael_priaulx <michael...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Hi all,

[Camilla Barlow]

Hi Mike

From your positive responses is it possible to see the job title of who the emails were sent to... Might give me a steer on which person to target ... 

C

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[michael_priaulx]

Hi Camilla/ all

We've had replies from a range of staff, e.g. support officers, planning managers, and development lead officer.

I suggest if you don't have an individual contact that you know personally, you just Google the generic planning email address and send to that initially.

All the best,

Mike

Camilla Barlow: Sep 07 10:04AM +0100

Hi Mike

 

From your positive responses is it possible to see the job title of who the emails were sent to... Might give me a steer on which person to target ...

 

C

 

On 7 Sept 2026 08:51, 'michael_priaulx' via swiftslocalnetwork <swiftsloc...@googlegroups.com> wrote: