Research on National Development Management Policies

Development management policies influence the type and location of development by setting design standards, mitigating environmental impacts, promoting social and community development, and addressing infrastructure requirements. They help decision-makers to promote sustainable, inclusive, and well-planned development that meets the needs of the community.

In England these have been the preserve of local authorities but the UK Government is proposing to introduce a set of policies to sit alongside an updated and repurposed NPPF. Ministers have suggested that new National Development Management Policies (NDMPs) will cover a range of planning issues, will apply across England and have statutory weight, overriding the content of existing local development plans when the two conflict.

However, Ministers have only offered an ‘indicative list’ of what they might cover at this stage. In response, the RTPI expressed concern these will have a profound impact on plans and projects for housing, infrastructure and services that communities and businesses rely on.

To inform our assessment, better understand the risks and how to mitigate them, the RTPI commissioned the University of Liverpool and ARUP to consider similar planning policy arrangements operate in other jurisdictions, assess their status and scope and consider how NDMPs might operate
in England. Their report can be read here: