The government has published the following consultation, which runs for (approx) 7 weeks from 21/01/2026 until 10/03/2026:

Consultation document:

• January 2026: Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance - consultation document (link) (pdf print version of HTML webpage).

Notes:

• The "Scope of the consultation" section at the start of the above consultation document includes the following information:
  - "This draft Planning Practice Guidance (PPG) is intended to support the application of policies in the draft National Planning Policy Framework [(link)] (NPPF) 2025, which is currently being consulted upon. It outlines and illustrates the government’s priorities for well-designed places, and how planning policies and decisions should support this.".
  - "Four existing guidance documents have been consolidated into a single streamlined resource, now called the draft Design and Placemaking PPG. The 4 existing documents are:
  >>> National design guide [(link)]
  >>> Design process and tools planning practice guidance [(link)]
  >>> National Model Design Code part 1 [(link)]
  >>> National Model Design Code part 2 [(link)]".
  - "The aim is to make design guidance clearer, more accessible, and easier to apply in practice.".
• The webpage (link) for the above consultation document also includes the following document:
  - "Draft for consultation - Design and Placemaking Planning Practice Guidance".

Other sources of information:

• January 2026: Government press release - "New design guidance to raise the bar for new build developments" (link).