Planning policy statement PPS
Planning Policy Statements (PPS), are written statements published by the government to help explain the statutory provisions of planning policy. They gradually replaced the previous Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG).
They give guidance to those involved in the operation of the planning system and explain the relationship between planning policies and other policies relating to development and land use. Planning authorities must consider Planning Policy Statements when preparing plans and making decisions on individual planning applications and appeals.
When the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was published in 2012, it was commonly cited as having repealed all Planning Policy Statements and reducing planning policy from over 1000 pages to around 50, but in fact, unless specifically revoked by the framework, existing policies remained effective.
The National Planning Policy Framework and all associated planning guidance can be found on the Planning Practice Guidance website.
Archived Planning Policy Statements can be found on the Planning Portal.
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