Advanced Oxford’s response to the NPPF consultation, March 2026
The Government’s revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) represents one of the most significant updates to England’s planning system in recent years. Following a public consultation that ran from 16 December 2025 to 10 March 2026, the revised framework is expected to come into force around June or July 2026, subject to ministerial sign-off.
Advanced Oxford’s infrastructure and utilities policy group has been closely engaged with the proposed changes, developing a formal consultation response on behalf of the organisation. The group’s work was supported by Advanced Oxford’s Policy Advisor on Planning, Adrian Colwell.
What Is the NPPF and Why Does It Matter?
The National Planning Policy Framework is the overarching planning guidance for England. It covers local plan-making, planning applications, and national infrastructure decisions. First introduced in 2012, this revised version is one of a series of iterative updates.
The NPPF carries significant legal weight. It is used in planning appeals and plan examinations, and local plan policies that conflict with it risk being struck out by Planning Inspectors. In practice, it functions as a legal guide, not merely guidance, carrying real force in planning decisions.
For Oxfordshire, a county whose science and technology sector depends on access to high-quality research and development space, well-connected infrastructure, and a skilled and settled workforce, the NPPF shapes the conditions for growth over the coming decades.
Our Position
Advanced Oxford has engaged actively with this consultation because planning policy is one of the fundamental conditions for a thriving innovation economy. The availability of high-quality, well-located space for science and technology businesses, delivered at the pace that growing companies require, is not simply a commercial matter. It is a question of whether Oxfordshire can fulfil its potential as the most dynamic innovation economy in the UK and the best place to start and grow a science-based business.
We welcome the increased recognition of economic development within the NPPF and the introduction of mechanisms such as Local Development Orders, which have clear real-world relevance in Oxfordshire. We have also called for greater policy parity for life sciences and advanced technology alongside logistics, and for the grey belt framework to be extended to cover economic development land, not only residential use.
Read the Full Documents
You can read Advanced Oxford’s full consultation response, alongside the slide deck prepared by our Policy Advisor on Planning, Adrian Colwell.
Read the Advanced Oxford NPPF Consultation Response
For further information on the NPPF consultation and the draft framework, visit the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
If you have questions about Advanced Oxford’s planning policy work, or would like to engage with our infrastructure and utilities policy group, please contact us.
