Though many of the themes from 2025 still apply, here are 10 fresh planning words and phrases for 2026 which capture the evolving language of the sector.
As the UK enters a pivotal year of further planning reform, a new vocabulary is emerging – one that reflects major shifts in policy, digital transformation, housing delivery, and environmental responsibility.
From overhauled local plan processes to strengthened sustainability requirements, 2026 is reshaping the way planners, developers, and communities talk about change.
1. SECONDARY LEGISLATION
The Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 18 December 2025 – albeit the provisions set out in the Act come into force at different times and many require secondary legislation to provide the necessary details for faster planning and modernised plan-making.
Key secondary regulations will provide detailed guidance and the practical operation of a number of elements discussed within the Act, including – but not limited to – the Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs, as mentioned at key word no. 7) and specific changes to the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) regime and grid connections. New local plan regulations are anticipated, along with detailed guidance for Spatial Development Strategies.
Specific regulations are expected soon for areas like planning fees, Development Consent Order changes, and EV charging.
2. NATIONAL DECISION MAKING POLICIES
The Levelling Up and Regeneration Act (2023) gave birth to the concept of government-set National Development Management Policies (NDMPs), as they were originally named, which were touted to have statutory force. When written and designated, the policies were designed to take on equal status to local plans – and ‘trump’ them in the event of conflict.
Fast forward to the end of 2025, when the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was released which finally introduced the standardised national policies, now referred to as National Decision Making Policies (also abbreviated to NDMPs). These NDMPs are non-statutory, with the intention that they will be a material consideration in decision-making, limiting local variation and increasing consistency. It is intended that new local plans do not duplicate these policies.
3. THREE GATEWAY SYSTEM
On 27 November 2025, the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Matthew Pennycook MP, confirmed further details regarding the new system for local plan production that will begin operating this year. The reforms, introduced through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023, aim to strengthen and streamline how local plans are prepared and examined across England. Currently, fewer than a third of local planning authorities have up-to-date local plans. The new system supports the government’s commitment to deliver 1.5 million homes this parliament by creating a faster, more predictable planning system.
The new system forces a 30-month local plan process consisting of early engagement, two rounds of public consultation, and three key gateways:
- Gateway 1 - Scope and Strategic Priorities (start of the 30 months)
- Gateway 2 - Draft Plan (mid-process)
- Gateway 3 - Readiness for Examination (end of the process)
Both the old and new systems will run in parallel throughout 2026, with the final date for submitting plans under the old system (to accord with NPPF 2024) being 31 December 2026.
4. PERMANENT PRESUMPTION
As set out within the draft NPPF, one of the 12 most significant policy changes is the permanent presumption in favour of suitably located development.
The government wants to make clear what forms of development are acceptable (in principle) in different locations as part of creating a more ‘rules-based’ approach.
For urban land, this approach takes forward parts of the government’s ‘brownfield passport’ work, and builds on the December 2024 framework update by making development of suitable land in urban areas acceptable by default.
As part of this change, the draft NPPF 2025 proposes a revised presumption in favour of sustainable development, underpinning the way the new policies direct different forms of development to the most appropriate locations – in effect applying a permanent presumption in favour of suitably located development.
5. ‘WELL-CONNECTED’ TRAIN STATIONS
In winter 2025 the government announced that housebuilding near well-connected train stations will receive a default “yes” in future if certain rules are met. The aim is to ensure more high-quality and affordable homes are built in and around key towns and cities, which will save commuters time, boost access to housing, and open the door to new job and education opportunities. The government’s consultation on a draft NPPF includes its much advertised policy to allow for more development of land around train stations.
Within the draft NPPF there are two key qualifying criteria:
- The productivity (Gross Value Added, GVA) of travel to work areas (TTWAs); and
- Train service frequency: either four departures an hour or two in one direction through the daytime.
There will be an expectation of minimum residential densities of at least 40 dwellings per hectare, higher in certain locations.
6. MEDIUM SITES
The shortage of suitable land for smaller sites and builders has contributed to the decline in SME-led housing delivery in recent years, which has been well documented within the industry. The draft NPPF introduces a new ‘medium development’ category, as set out within Annex C, which is currently proposed for schemes of 10 to 49 homes, and on sites up to 2.5 hectares, albeit the consultation does specifically ask for feedback on this category and so is subject to amendments.
The draft NPPF emphasises that planning requirements should be proportionate to site size and supported by policy and regulatory easements intended to streamline development on sites of this new medium development category. The consultation states that this category should not be subject to information requirements designed for larger developments (at pre-app or application stage), where these would be disproportionate to the scale of the proposal.
The changes within the draft NPPF aim to encourage the growth of small and medium-sized builders by removing obstacles to bringing forward smaller parcels of land. In addition, new local plans will be expected to allocate at least 10% of the housing requirement to smaller sites.
7. ENVIRONMENTAL DELIVERY PLANS
A key part of the Planning and Infrastructure Act is the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF).
The NRF introduces a new way for housing and infrastructure developers to meet their environmental responsibilities where their projects affect protected sites or species. Natural England will deliver the NRF through Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs). Each EDP will cover a specific area and outline a package of conservation measures that will address one or more impacts of development on a protected site or species. Where an EDP is in place, developers can make a payment into the NRF to meet their environmental responsibilities and crucially unlock development which might otherwise have stalled.
Towards the end of 2025 the government released guidance on the timetable for EDPs. The intention is that the first EDPs will begin consultation/engagement early in 2026, with the first EDPs to go live spring/summer 2026. The first EDPs will focus on areas and catchments that have significant pressure from nutrient neutrality issues.
8. NEW TOWNS
The New Towns Taskforce, led by Sir Michael Lyons, provided a shortlist of 12 sites for new towns in 2025. The government’s response included a pledge to begin building within this parliament in “at least three locations” with Tempsford, Crews Hill and south of Leeds considered the most “promising” for development.
Speaking at the Commons’ Housing, Communities & Local Government Committee on the 13 January 2026, Matthew Pennycook said the government is ‘refining our evidence base to ensure the sites we propose will go forward’. The location of the next wave of new towns will be revealed in the ‘coming weeks’, he confirmed. Therefore expect more to come on new towns during 2026, especially in relation to the three focused locations, notably relevant policies, guidance and the planning mechanisms available. The industry will look closely as to whether the planned housing is in addition to local housing targets.
9. ENERGY
The location for new energy infrastructure will be set out in a strategic plan to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and accelerate the government’s clean energy superpower mission.
The government considers that taking this more strategic approach will provide much-needed, long-term certainty and stability for investors and accelerate the growth of the UK’s clean energy industries, creating more jobs and improving lives in communities across the UK.
Building on work to deliver clean power by 2030, energy ministers in the Scottish, Welsh, and UK governments have asked the newly formed National Energy System Operator (NESO) to produce the first ever strategic spatial plan for energy to 2050. Planning of energy infrastructure in this way will help cut grid connection waiting times, giving investors confidence on where to build and when.
The first iteration of the plan will be published in 2026 and will focus on electricity generation and storage, including hydrogen assets, from offshore wind farms to pumped storage hydro. This will ultimately guide regional and local energy plans.
10. ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE (AI)
At the beginning of 2025 the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) released its new RTPI Practice Advice Note, outlining the opportunities and challenges planners face when working with AI. Later on in 2025, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) launched a global standard on responsible use of AI in surveying.
The potential of AI in the planning system is a topic that Savills has previously discussed in a blog post from 2024.
As AI-driven tools and technologies become increasingly sophisticated and autonomous, their impact on the planning process and profession will continue to grow. AI has the opportunity to help authorities process information more quickly, test scenarios and improve the evidence base for local plans, all with the overarching aim of assisting the streamlining of administrative process within the planning system.
By the spring, AI tools are expected to be available to councils across England, designed to read and summarise planning documentation, digitise historic records, and speed up the handling of applications.
In 2026 we should focus on practical digital gains, while recognising that the role of planners is to provide trusted, independent and ethical advice.
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