National Planning Policy Framework: respond to the consultation

The government has published a draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), and we think there are several proposed changes which could have a major impact on how the countryside is protected and managed. This is your opportunity to have your say.

Responding to planning consultations can be technical and confusing. But don’t worry, as CPRE have done most of the work for you!

The CPRE national team have set out the key questions to respond to in the consultation, with some suggested copy to use to support your answers. The whole process should take about 10 minutes.

How to respond the NPPF consultation – guidance from CPRE

What you need to know

Government consultations — where organisations and the public are invited to comment on proposed policy — run for a limited time. The deadline for this NPPF consultation is 11.45pm on Tuesday 10 March. There are two main ways to submit a consultation response:

• Email your response to PlanningPolicyConsultation@communities.gov.uk
• Submit your response using the online form

The best consultation responses are clear and structured. In your response, it’s important that you make clear which questions you are responding to, so that civil servants can use that information when they collect and analyse responses.

Below, CPRE has set out the questions in the consultation which, they think, are the most important for the countryside. The three areas they have focused on in particular are:

1. Green Belt protection
2. Rural affordable housing
3. ‘Valued landscapes’ and the wider countryside

The CPRE guidance provides:

• Suggested answers to each question (e.g. agree / disagree)
• Text to copy or adapt into your response.
• Tips on how to personalise your response — as these can have more impact

Why this makes a difference

Responding to consultations like this is one of the main ways you can feed into national policy. It’s an opportunity to explain whether you support or oppose the proposals, and to share how the changes could affect your area or community.

All responses are logged and reviewed by civil servants, who analyse the themes and levels of support or concern raised. Clear, individual responses help show how people feel about particular policies in practice.

In addition to your individual responses, CPRE will also be issuing an organisational response to the consultation.