A ‘small but significant’ win for play has come in the form of an amendment to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) .

The NPPF sets out government’s planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied. The updated version of the framework, published in December now states that existing formal play spaces must not be built on unless it can be shown that the space will be replaced by equal or better provision; or if a thorough assessment shows that it is ‘surplus to requirements’.

Previously this applied only to open space, sports and recreational buildings and land including playing fields.

Play England has described this development as pivotal: “paving the way for introducing play sufficiency legislation in 2025 as part of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.” There may in future be a role for Play England to work alongside Sport England if its statutory consultee role on planning applications affecting playing fields is extended to include formal play spaces as a result of this change.

More information is on the Play England website. You can view the latest NPPF document here.