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Mary-Jane O’Neill of Lambert Smith Hampton examines the August 2026 NPPF in practice, detailing emerging appeal trends, station-led density opportunities, grey belt potential, and why estates teams should conduct a strategic portfolio review.

Clare Jones and Madison Thomas of BPS Chartered Surveyors assess whether the August 2026 NPPF reforms can overcome rising build costs, low flat sales, and viability bottlenecks to restart stalled housing delivery.

The draft NPPF suggests making cash in lieu of on-site affordable housing easier to use for medium developments. While this flexibility can unlock stalled SME schemes struggling with rigid policies and limited registered provider appetite , it also carries major risks. Chris Green explains why commuted sums must be used carefully with strict safeguards to avoid turning cash into a deferral mechanism rather than a real housing solution.

Shared ownership is being sidelined by the government despite being a vital route for "the missing middle"—households who earn too much for social rent but not enough for the open market.

With a pledge to deliver 1.5 million new homes, the Labour government is moving to "oil the wheels" of the planning system. But can planning reform alone solve the deep-rooted imbalance between rising build costs and the need for affordable housing?.

Fewer than 40% of local planning authorities have up-to-date plans. As the government pushes for faster plan-making alongside local government reorganisation, Nick Diment examines if these two objectives can be reconciled without compromising quality.