Latest Updates in Planning - Making Plans, Taking Decisions - The National Planning Policy Framework 2026 and beyond

**Summary**

In August 2026 the government completed a significant shakeup of the planning system with the publication of a new and very different version of the National Planning Policy Framework. This session looks in detail at how the new NPPF works, how it relates to other new regulations for plan making and the impact of local government reorganisation. It will be accessible to those with no prior knowledge of the planning system, but may be of most interest to those with some experience who want to understand in more detail how government policy now works and what the impact will be on local plans, major applications and decision making. It would be a good follow up to the Introduction to Planning Session for those who are relatively new to planning, and an important update for those who have been working within the ‘old’ system.

**Suitable Audience**
The course is aimed at councillors and council staff who have some familiarity with the current planning system and want to keep up to date with the way that it is going to change as a result of new legislation and government policy.

**Benefits**
By the end of the *Latest Updates in Planning* training you will have:
- An understanding of recent changes to Local Plans
- Changes that are proposed and how they matter to you
- The way local plans are made
- How planning decisions are taken
- The role of neighbourhood plans
- Plan-making, housing numbers, biodiversity, and infrastructure funding