Over recent months there has been widespread speculation about the future role of neighbourhood plans. The withdrawal of central government funding to support neighbourhood planning, coupled with a clear shift towards more centralised and strategic plan-making, has led many to conclude that neighbourhood plans were on borrowed time and destined to become something of a relic.

As a planning consultancy that regularly works alongside parish councils to prepare neighbourhood plans, while also promoting planning applications within their areas, we have shared some of those concerns. However, having now reviewed the Draft National Planning Policy Framework (December 2025), it is clear that some of the more pessimistic commentary may have been overstated.

Neighbourhood planning will remain, at least for now.

The draft Framework confirms that neighbourhood plans will continue to form part of the statutory development plan. They will still sit alongside local plans and spatial development strategies and must continue to be taken into account in decision-making. That position is notable, particularly given the wider direction of travel towards more strategic and sub-regional planning.

That said, there is a subtle but important reframing of their role. The draft NPPF places greater emphasis on neighbourhood plans as positive delivery tools, rather than as vehicles for repeating policy or resisting change. It is clearer than before that neighbourhood plans can, and should, allocate land and focus on genuinely local matters such as design, infrastructure, regeneration and environmental improvements. At the same time, there is a stronger steer that they should avoid duplicating national policy or higher-level plan policies.

In housing terms, the position is largely unchanged. The familiar incentive remains. Where a neighbourhood plan has been made within the last five years and contains allocations that meet its identified housing requirement, it continues to attract a degree of protection. In those circumstances, proposals that conflict with the neighbourhood plan are still likely to be refused, even where the presumption in favour of sustainable development would otherwise apply. For parish councils willing to engage positively with growth, that remains a meaningful and practical reward.

Commenting on the draft Framework, Andrew Metcalfe, Managing Director of Squires Planning, said:

“What the draft NPPF makes clear is that neighbourhood plans are not being swept aside, but they are being sharpened. They need to be proportionate, focused and prepared with a clear understanding of the wider strategy. Where that happens, they remain powerful documents with real influence on decision-making.”

Taken as a whole, the December 2025 draft NPPF does not weaken neighbourhood plans. Instead, it reinforces their role as focused, delivery-led documents with a clearly defined purpose. Neighbourhood plans must support strategic policies, plan positively for housing and avoid policy duplication. Where they do so, they continue to carry real weight in planning decisions.

From our perspective, this is not the end of neighbourhood planning. It is a reminder that neighbourhood plans need to be tightly drafted, outward-looking and grounded in delivery if they are to remain effective in an evolving policy landscape.

If you are working on a neighbourhood plan or considering preparing one, and would welcome advice or support in progressing it, do reach out.