NPPF consultation: let’s speak up for energy efficiency
The Government is consulting on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – the document that sets the rules for planning decisions across England – including a proposal that could seriously weaken the energy efficiency of new buildings. The consultation is open until Tuesday 10th March 2026, and anyone can submit a response.
See the consultation in full here.
PeCAN volunteers have prepared a draft response on two of the topics, which you can read here. If you have thoughts on this draft, please get in touch before we submit it on Tuesday.
And if you would like to respond yourself, that would be even better. The more people speak up, the more weight our views will carry.
Below is a short summary of what we are planning to say and why we think it matters for our area.
Our main concern: weakening energy efficiency standards
One of the most concerning proposals is policy PM13, which would prevent local authorities from setting higher energy-efficiency standards for new buildings than the national minimum set in Building Regulations.
PeCAN strongly disagrees with this proposal. In our view, PM13 should be deleted.
If introduced, the policy could undo much of the progress made in the emerging Local Plans for East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) and the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA), both of which are working towards stronger standards for low-carbon and energy-efficient buildings with the strong support of local residents.
Energy efficiency matters because:
- Homes built to higher standards are cheaper to run and protect households from high energy bills
- It is far cheaper to build efficiency in from the start than to retrofit later
- Buildings account for around a quarter of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, so better standards are essential if the UK is to meet its climate targets
- Strong local policies have been developed through years of consultation and local democratic engagement
PM13 would override these local processes and limit councils’ ability to respond to local priorities and climate commitments.
Our view on housing targets
The consultation also proposes continuing to rely heavily on the so-called “standard method” for assessing the number of new homes to be built.
In our response, we support the construction of new homes to meet housing need but not over-construction, since all construction harms the environment. We argue that the “standard method” is a conceptually flawed way to assess housing need, because it relies on house price ratios rather than demographic trends or the actual needs of local communities. The result could be over-construction in some places without solving affordability problems.
We use data for East Hampshire to illustrate this and propose alternative ways to assess housing need and improve the affordability and suitability of local housing.
Do you want to respond yourself?
Anyone can submit their own response to the consultation, on the topics above or others covered in the consultation, such as clean energy and water, land use, sustainable transport, pollution, flood risk, and natural environment.
If you would like to do so, you can read the consultation documents and respond online here
For inspiration, you may find these responses helpful as well:
LETI template response to NPPF consultation PM13
SDNPA Planning Committee Feb 2026 (see item 7)
Transport for New Homes reflections on the 2026 national planning policy framework
The consultation closes at 11.45pm on Tuesday 10th March 2026. Good luck!
If you would like to get involved in PeCAN’s planning and advocacy work, please get in touch with us – we would welcome more volunteers to share this work.